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THE  LIBRARY 
OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


A  LIST  OF  THE  ELSIE  BOOKS 
BY 

MARTHA  FINLEY 

ELSIE  DINSMORE 
ELSIE'S  HOLIDAYS   AT  ROSE- 
LANDS 

ELSIE'S  GIRLHOOD 
ELSIE'S  WOMANHOOD 
ELSIE'S  MOTHERHOOD 
ELSIE'S  CHILDREN 
ELSIE'S  WIDOWHOOD 
GRANDMOTHER  ELSIE 
ELSIE'S  NEW  RELATIONS 
ELSIE  AT  NANTUCKET 
THE  TWO  ELSIES 
ELSIE'S  KITH  AND  KIN 
ELSIE'S  FRIENDS  AT  WOOD- 

BURN 
CHRISTMAS   WITH   GRANDMA 

ELSIE 

ELSIE  AND   THE   RAYMONDS 
ELSIE   YACHTING   WITH   THE 

RAYMONDS 
ELSIE'S  VACATION 
ELSIE  AT  VIAMEDE 
ELSIE  AT  ION 

ELSIE  AT  THE  WORLD'S  FAIR 
ELSIE'S  JOURNEY  ON  INLAND 

WATERS 
ELSIE  AT  HOME 
ELSIE  ON  THE  HUDSON 
ELSIE  IN  THE  SOUTH 
ELSIE'S  YOUNG  FOLKS 
ELSIE'S  WINTER  TRIP 
ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 
ELSIE  AND  HER  NAMESAKES 


ELSIE  AND   HER 
LOVED  ONES 


BY 

MARTHA  FINLEY 


NEW  YORK 
DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


Copyright,  1903, 
By  DODD,  MEAD  AND  COMPANY. 


Published,  November,  1903. 


Fsr 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 


CHAPTER  I 

IT  was  a  lovely  spring  day — very  lovely 
at  Viamede,  where  Mrs.  Travilla — or 
Grandma  Elsie,  as  some  of  her  young 
friends  loved  to  call  her — was  seated  under 
the  orange  trees  on  the  flower-bespangled 
lawn,  with  her  father  and  his  wife,  her 
cousins,  Mr.  Ronald  Lilburn  and  Annis,  his 
wife,  her  children,  and  some  of  the  more  dis 
tant  relatives  and  friends  gathered  about  her 
or  wandering  here  and  there  at  some  little 
distance  on  the  same  beautiful  lawn. 

"What  a  beautiful  place  this  is!"  ex 
claimed  Zoe,  breaking  a  pause  in  the  conver 
sation. 

"Yes,"  said  her  husband,  "but  I  am  think 
ing  it  is  about  time  we  returned  to  our  more 
northern  homes." 


2      ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"I  think  it  is,"  said  his  grandfather,  Mr. 
Dinsmore. 

"I  also ;  I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  neglecting 
my  business  shamefully,"  sighed  Chester. 

At  that  Dr.  Harold  shook  his  head  smil 
ingly.  "Don't  let  conscience  reproach  you, 
Chester,  for  what  has  probably  saved  you 
from  invalidism  and  perhaps  prolonged  your 
life  for  years." 

"Well,  cousin  doctor,  you  will  surely  ad 
mit  that  I  am  well  enough  to  go  back  to  work 
now  ?"  laughed  Chester. 

"Perhaps ;  but  wait  a  little  till  you  hear  a 
plan  I  have  to  propose.  Mother,"  he  went 
on,  turning  to  her,  "I  met  a  gentleman  yes 
terday  who  has  just  returned  from  Cali 
fornia,  which  he  pronounces  the  loveliest, 
most  salubrious  section  of  our  country,  and 
what  he  had  to  say  of  its  climate  and  scenery 
has  aroused  in  me  a  strong  desire  to  visit 
it,  taking  you  all  with  me — especially  those 
of  our  party  who  are  my  patients." 

"Hardly  at  this  time  of  year;  though',  I 
suppose,  Harold,"  she  replied,  giving  him  a 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES      3 

look  of  loving  appreciation,  "it  would  seem 
wiser  to  move  in  a  northerly  direction  before 
the  summer  heats  come  on." 

"Well,  mother,  this  gentleman  says  the 
summers  there  are  really  more  enjoyable 
than  the  winters,  and  the  map  shows  us  that 
Santa  Barbara  is  a  few  degrees  farther  north 
than  we  are  here,  and  San  Francisco  some 
few  degrees  north  of  that.  It  is  not  a  trop 
ical,  but  a  semi-tropical  climate,  and  for 
every  month  in  the  yenr  you  need  the  same 
sort  of  clothing  that  you  wear  in  New  York 
or  Chicago  in  the  winter.  He  tells  me  that 
for  two-thirds  of  the  year  the  weather  is 
superb — the  heat  rare  above  68  degrees 
and  almost  always  tempered  by  a  refreshing 
breeze  from  the  ocean  or  the  mountains. 
Sometimes  there  are  fogs,  but  they  don't 
bring  with  them  the  raw,  searching  dampness 
of  our  eastern  ones.  Indeed,  from  all  I  have 
heard  and  read  of  the  climate  I  think  it 
would  be  most  beneficial  for  these  patients 
of  mine,"  Harold  concluded,  glancing  smil 
ingly  from  one  to  another. 


4      ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"And  a  most  enjoyable  trip  for  us  all,  I 
have  no  doubt,"  said  Captain  Kaymond. 

"How  about  the  expense?"  queried  Ches 
ter. 

"Never  mind  about  that,"  said  the  cap 
tain.  "I  claim  the  privilege  of  bearing  it  for 
the  party.  How  many  will  go  ?" 

"The  Dolphin  could  hardly  be  made  to 
hold  us  all,  papa,"  laughed  Grace. 

"No;  nor  to  cross  the  plains  and  moun 
tains,"  returned  her  father  with  an  amused 
smile.  "We  would  go  by  rail  and  let  those 
who  prefer  going  home  at  once  do  so  in  our 
yacht." 

At  that  Edward  Travilla,  standing  near, 
looked  greatly  pleased.  "That  is  a  most  kind 
and  generous  offer,  captain,"  he  said,  "and  I 
for  one  shall  be  very  glad  to  accept  it." 

"We  will  consider  that  you  have  done  so," 
returned  the  captain,  "and  you  can  begin  en 
gaging  your  passengers  as  soon  as  you  like. 
But  I  am  forgetting  that  I  should  first  learn 
how  many  will  accept  my  invitation  for  the 
land  trip.  Grandpa  and  Grandma  Dins- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  OUES  5 

mere,  you  will  do  so,  will  you  not  ?  'And  you, 
mother,  Cousin  Ronald  and  Cousin  Ann  is  ?" 

There  was  a  slight  demur,  a  little  asking 
and  answering  of  questions  back  and  forth, 
which  presently  ended  in  a  pleased  accep 
tance  of  the  captain's  generous  invitation  by 
all  who  had  come  with  him  in  the  Dolphin — 
Violet,  his  wife,  with  their  children,  Elsie 
and  Ned;  his  older  daughters,  Lucilla  and 
Grace,  with  Chester,  Lucilla's  husband,  and 
Grace's  lover,  Dr.  Harold  Travilla;  Evelyn, 
Max's  wife,  and  last  but  not  least  in  impor 
tance,  Grandma  Elsie,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dins- 
more — her  father  and  his  wife — and  the 
cousins — Mr.  Ronald  Lilburn  and  Annis,  his 
wife. 

All  had  become  greatly  interested,  and  the 
talk  was  very  cheery  and  animated.  Differ 
ent  routes  to  California  were  discussed,  and 
it  was  presently  decided  to  go  by  the  South 
ern  Pacific,  taking  the  cars  at  New  Orleans 
— and  that  they  would  make  an  early  start, 
as  would  those  who  were  to  return  home  in 
the  Dolphin. 


6  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"May  I  take  mj  Tiny  along,  papa  ?"  asked 
Elsie,  standing  by  his  side  with  the  little 
monkey  on  her  shoulder. 

"I  think  not,  daughter,"  he  replied ;  "she 
would  be  very  apt  to  get  lost  while  we  are 
wandering  about  in  that  strange  part  of  the 
country." 

"Then  I  suppose  I'll  have  to  leave  her  here 
till  we  come  back ;  and  do  you  think  any  of 
the  servants  can  be  trusted  to  take  good  care 
of  her  and  not  let  her  get  lost  in  the  woods, 
papa?"  asked  the  little  girl  in  tones  quiver 
ing  with  emotion. 

"If  you  will  trust  me  to  take  care  of  her 
she  can  go  home  with  us  in  the  yacht  and  live 
at  Ion  till  you  come  for  her,"  said  Zoe. 
Then,  turning  to  ISTed,  who  was  there  with 
his  pet :  "And  I  make  you  the  same  offer  for 
your  Tee-tee,"  she  added,  "for,  of  course,  if 
Elsie's  can't  be  trusted  to  go  to  California, 
neither  can  yours." 

"Thank  you,  Aunt  Zoe,"  both  children  an 
swered,  but  in  tones  that  told  of  regret  that 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES      7 

even  for  a  time  they  must  resign  the  care  of 
their  pets  to  another. 

"And  we'll  have  Tiny  and  Tee-tee  in  the 
yacht  with  us.  How  nice  that  will  be !"  ex 
claimed  little  Eric  Leland.  "They  are  fine, 
amusing  little  fellows,  and  you  may  be  sure, 
Elsie  and  Ned,  that  we  will  take  good  care 
of  them." 

"And  be  willing  to  give  them  back  to  us 
when  we  get  home  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Honest  enough  to  do  so,  I  hope,  whether 
we're  willing  or  not,"  laughed  Eric. 

"Yes,  of  course  we  would,"  said  his  sister, 
Alie,  "for  we  are  honest  folks ;  but  I'm  glad 
we  can  have  the  cute  little  monkeys  with  us 
even  for  awhile." 

"On  the  yacht  you  will,  but  I  think  we'll 
have  them  at  Ion  after  we  get  home,"  said 
Lily  Travilla,  the  little  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Zoe,  "because  it's  papa  and  mamma  who 
have  promised  to  take  care  of  them." 

"Yes,"  said  Elsie,  "and  I'm  sure  Uncle 
Edward  and  Aunt  Zoe  will  be  good  to  them 


8      ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

— so  good  that  I'm  most  afraid  they'll  grow 
fonder  of  them  than  of  Ned  and  me." 

"Oh,  no,  I  don't  think  there  is  any  danger 
of  that,"  said  Zoe,  "and  if  they  should,  you 
can  soon  win  their  hearts  back  again  by  your 
love  and  kindness." 

"Oh,  I  do  believe  we  can,  Aunt  Zoe;  for 
the  dear  little  things  love  us  now,  I'm  sure," 
cried  Elsie,  giving  Tiny  a  hug  and  a  loving 
pat. 

But  the  older  people  were  chatting  about 
the  necessary  preparations  for  the  journey, 
and  the  children  grew  quiet  to  listen.  Their 
plans  were  laid  in  a  few  moments,  and  within 
twenty-four  hours  all  embarked  for  New  Or 
leans,  in  the  same  boat,  and  on  reaching  that 
city  the  two  companies  parted,  Edward  and 
his  charges  starting  eastward  in  the  Dolphin, 
Captain  Raymond  and  his  taking  a  west 
ward-bound  train  on  the  Southern  Pacific. 

The  little  company,  especially  the  younger 
ones,  were  in  fine  spirits ;  they  were  pleasant 
companions  for  each  other,  the  weather  was 
.fine,  and  the  prospect  of  sight-seeing  before 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES      9 

them  quite  delightful.  The  children  Had 
many  questions  to  ask  about  what  they 
should  see  in  California,  which  the  older  peo 
ple,  especially  their  father,  were  kindly  ready 
to  answer. 

"At  what  place  will  we  stop  first,  papa  ?" 
asked  Elsie. 

"At  Coronado  Beach,  which  is  not  very 
far  from  Los  Angeles.  We  will  take  rooms 
at  the  Hotel  del  Coronado,  which  is  an  im 
mense  building,  yet  very  homelike  and  de 
lightful.  It  has  an  inner  court,  with  trees, 
flowers  and  vines,  and  around  that  court 
many  suites  of  rooms,  each  with  its  own  bath 
and  sitting-room,  so  that  a  party  of  guests 
such  as  ours  can  be  very  comfortable  and  as 
private  as  they  please." 

"And  if  they  don't  want  to  be  very  private 
I  suppose  they  can  mingle  with  other  folks, 
can't  they,  papa?"  asked  Ned. 

"Yes,  indeed;  there  is  almost  every  kind 
of  amusement  that  is  found  elsewhere. 
Probably  fishing  and  yachting,  walking  and 
driving  along  the  beach,  will  suit  us  as  well 


10     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

or  better  than  anything  else ;  there  is  a  drive 
of  twelve  miles  along  the  beach  at  low  tide." 

"But  I  fear  we  will  find  it  too  warm  for 
outdoor  sports  at  this  time  of  year,"  re 
marked  Mrs.  Dinsmore. 

"No,  grandma,  I  think  not,"  said  Dr.  Har 
old.  "I  have  been  told  the  summer  climate 
is  better  than  the  winter — never  too  warm 
for  comfort,  dry  and  tempered  as  it  is  by  the 
ocean  breeze.  You  do  not  find  there  the  raw, 
searching  dampness  felt  at  Eastern  seaside 
resorts;  but  I'm  told  it  is  too  cold  for  the 
comfort  of  invalids  during  the  March  rains. 
They  are  happily  over  now,  and  I  think  that 
even  our  invalids  will  find  the  weather  com 
fortably  warm." 

"And  comfortably  cool?"  queried  his 
mother,  giving  him  a  proudly  affectionate 
look  and  smile. 

"I  think  the  ocean  breeze  will  make  it 
that,  mother,"  he  answered,  returning  her 
smile  with  one  as  full  of  affection  as  her 
own. 

"I  do  believe  we  are  going  to  have  a  de- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     11 

Kghtful  time,"  exclaimed  Lucilla  in  joyous 
tones;  "everything  will  be  so  new  and  fresh 
— lovely  scenery,  beautiful  plants  and  flow 
ers,  and  the  climate  all  that  one  could  de 
sire." 

"Well,  I  hope  you  will  not  be  disappointed, 
daughter,"  the  captain  said ;  "but  California 
is  not  heaven  and  you  must  expect  some  un 
pleasantnesses." 

"I  hope  there  won't  be  sicknesses,"  said 
Grace. 

"No,"  said  Evelyn  sportively,  "we  must 
all  try  to  keep  well  that  our  good  doctor  may 
not  be  robbed  of  his  vacation." 

"Thanks,  Mrs.  Eaymond,"  said  Harold, 
with  a  bow  and  smile,  "I  sincerely  hope  you 
will  all  keep  well  for  your  own  sakes  more 
than  mine." 

"You  may  be  sure  we  will  all  do  our  best 
in  that  line,  Harold,  and  even  more  for  our 
own  sakes  than  for  yours,"  laughed  his  sis 
ter,  Violet. 

"I  hope  so,"  he  returned.  "Having  per 
suaded  you  all  to  take  the  trip  I  am  ex- 


12  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

tremely  desirous  that  it  may  prove  bene 
ficial." 

They  had  been  talking  during  a  pause  in 
the  movement  of  the  train,  and  now,  as  it 
started  on  again,  they  relapsed  into  silence. 


CHAPTER  H 

THEY  arrived  at  Coronado  Beach,  tired 
with  their  journey  but  full  of  delight  with  the 
beauty  of  their  surroundings.  On  the  morn 
ing  after  their  arrival  they  were  gathered 
upon  one  of  the  galleries,  taking  a  very  in 
terested  view  of  the  strange  and  beautiful 
scenery  spread  out  before  them.  The  near 
prospect  was  of  lovely  grounds  forming  the 
inner  court  of  the  hotel,  grass,  trees  and 
hedges  of  lovely  green,  borders  and  ovals  and 
beds  of  marguerites,  long  lines  and  curves  of 
marigolds,  and  a  fountain  encircled  by  calla- 
lilies.  It  was  beautiful.  And  farther  away 
they  could  see  other  lovely  gardens,  rocky 
wastes,  lofty  mountains,  and  the  ocean  with 
distant  sails  upon  it ;  the  beach  with  foaming 
waves  breaking  on  it,  and  Point  Loma,  grand 
ly  guarding  the  harbor  on  the  right. 

"There  must  be  a  grand  view  from  the  top 
of  that  promontory,"  remarked  Chester. 


14 

"Yes,"  said  the  captain,  "and  perhaps  a 
call  there  would  be  as  good  a  beginning  of 
our  peregrinations  as  we  could  make.  Point 
Loma  commands  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
views  in  the  world ;  an  immense  prospect  and 
very  interesting  in  its  details.  I  suppose  you 
would  all  like  to  go  ?"  he  added  inquiringly, 
and  with  a  kindly  glance  from  one  to  another. 

~No  one  seemed  at  all  inclined  to  reject  the 
offered  treat,  carriages  were  ordered,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  they  were  on  their  way. 

There  was  no  disappointment;  the  view 
from  the  top  of  the  rocky  promontory,  Point 
Loma,  was  all  they  had  been  led  to  expect ;  a 
view  of  miles  of  old  ocean,  blue  and  sparkling 
in  the  sunshine,  bearing  distant  vessels  on  its 
bosom ;  on  the  land  ranges  on  ranges  of  moun 
tains  ;  away  in  the  distance  to  the  South  ano 
ther  promontory — the  Point  of  Rocks,  in 
Mexico.  They  drove  along  the  narrow  ridge 
of  the  promontory  to  the  lighthouse,  and 
found  the  view  very  fine  from  there. 

"How  beautiful  is  that  wide,  curving  coast 
line !"  remarked  Grandma  Elsie. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     15 

"Yes,  mamma,"  assented  Violet,  "and  the 
ranges  on  ranges  of  hills  and  mountains. 
And  there,  see,  are  snow-peaks  beyond  them. 
What  mountains  are  they,  my  dear  3" 

"San  Bernardino  and  San  Jacinto,"  re 
plied  the  captain ;  "and  that  flat-topped  one  ia 
Table  Mountain,  in  Mexico." 

"  'Tis  a  grand  view,  this !"  remarked  Mr. 
Lilburn,  in  tones  of  delight. 

"Yes,  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world,"  re 
sponded  the  captain.  "What  a  perfect  cres 
cent  is  that  ocean  beach,  and  how  singular  is 
the  formation  of  North  and  South  Coronado 
Beach!  Notice  the  entrance  to  this  harbor 
here  along  Point  Loma,  where  we  are  stand 
ing,  and  on  the  spacious  inner  bay,  the  towns 
of  San  Diego,  and  National  City;  notice 
the  lowlands  and  heights  outside  sprinkled 
with  houses,  gardens,  vineyards  and  or 
chards." 

"It  is  a  beautiful  scene,"  said  Mrs.  Kose 
Dinsmore ;  "it  alone  is  enough  to  repay  us  for 
our  long  journey." 

"Yes,  grandma,"   responded  Violet,   "ea- 


16     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

pecially  as  the  journey  itself  was  really  de 
lightful." 

"So  it  was,"  responded  several  voices. 

"Yes,  I  think  it  paid  even  for  giving  up 
my  Tiny  for  a  few  weeks,"  said  little  Elsie. 
"Are  we  going  anywhere  else  to-day,  papa  ?" 
she  asked,  turning  to  her  father. 

"That  is  a  question  I  have  not  considered 
yet,"  he  answered,  ''but  I  think  that  by  the 
time  we  get  back  to  our  hotel  and  eat  our 
dinner,  it  will  be  rather  late  for  another 
trip." 

"I  think  so;  especially  for  those  of  our 
party  who  are  my  patients,"  said  Dr.  Tra- 
villa.  "For  a  time  I  must  ask  them  to  avoid 
both  the  evening  and  the  early  morning  air." 

"And  such  is  their  confidence  in  your  med 
ical  wisdom  and  skill  that  they  will  be  very 
apt  to  take  your  advice,"  remarked  Lucilla, 
with  playful  look  and  tone. 

"Certainly  we  will,"  added  Chester; 
"where  would  be  the  use  of  bringing  a  doctor 
along  if  his  advice  is  not  to  be  followed  ?" 

"I'm  very  hungry,"   put  in  little   Ned. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     17 

"Uncle  Harold,  wouldn't  it  be  good  for  us 
to  have  something  to  eat?" 

"Why  yes,  Ned,  I  highly  approve  of  that 
suggestion,"  laughed  the  doctor,  "and  there 
are  lunch  baskets  in  our  carriages  that  will 
no  doubt  yield  all  that  is  needed  to  satisfy  our 
appetites." 

"Yes,  I  saw  them,  Uncle  Harold,  and  so 
I  knew  we  didn't  need  to  go  hungry,"  replied 
Ned.  Then,  turning  to  his  father,  "May  I 
go  and  get  the  baskets,  papa  ?"  he  asked.  "I 
s'pose  we'll  have  to  eat  out  here." 

"No  doubt  we  can  eat  comfortably  enough 
sitting  here  on  the  rocks,"  replied  his  father ; 
"but  the  baskets  are  too  heavy  for  a  boy  of 
your  size  to  carry.  We  will  get  one  of  our 
drivers  to  do  that."  Then  addressing  the 
party,  "Judging  by  my  own  feelings,  ladies 
and  gentlemen,  I  suppose  you  are  all  ready 
for  lunch  ?" 

There  was  a  general  assent,  and  presently 
they  were  regaling  themselves  with  a  very  ap 
petizing  meal. 

That  concluded,  they  re-entered  their  car- 


18  ELK1E  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

riages  and  had  a  delightful  drive  back  to  the 
Hotel  del  Coronado,  where  they  passed  a 
pleasant  evening,  then  retired  early  for  a 
comfortable  night's  rest. 

The  next  day  was  the  Sabbath.  Our  party 
attended  morning  service  in  the  nearest 
church,  and  in  the  afternoon  spent  an  hour  or 
more  in  Bible  study  together.  After  that  lit 
tle  Elsie,  Bible  in  hand,  drew  near  Mrs.  Tra- 
villa. 

"Grandma,"  she  said,  "I  want  to  ask  you 
about  this  verse  in  Revelations.  Shall  I  read 
it  to  you  ?" 

"Yes,  dear ;  let  me  hear  it,"  replied  Grand 
ma  Elsie,  and  the  child  read  in  low,  sweet 
tones : 

"  'He  that  hath  an  ear,  let  him  hear  what 
the  Spirit  saith  unto  the  churches:  To  him 
that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat  of  the  hid 
den  manna,  and  will  give  him  a  white  stone, 
and  in  the  stone  a  new  name  written,  which 
no  man  knoweth  saving  he  that  receiveth 
it.'  " 

The  little  girl  paused,  closed  her  Bible,  and 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  19 

putting  her  hand  in  her  pocket  drew  out  a 
small  white  stone. 

"See,  grandma,"  she  said,  "I  picked  this 
up  yesterday  when  we  were  out  and  it  re 
minded  me  of  that  verse.  Please,  grandma, 
tell  me  what  it  means." 

"I  will  do  the  best  I  can,  darling,"  was  the 
sweet-toned  reply.  "The  white  stone  was  the 
symbol  of  acquittal.  When  a  man  had  been 
accused  or  suspected  of  some  crime,  tried  for 
it  and  found  innocent,  the  judge  would  give 
him  a  white  stone,  and  he  could  show  that  as 
proof  that  he  had  been  pronounced  innocent. 
The  white  stone  was  also  the  symbol  of  vic 
tory  and  honor,  and  was  given  to  brave  sol 
diers  coming  home  from  battles  for  their 
country." 

"Then  they  would  be  very  proud  to  show 
it,  I  suppose,"  said  Elsie.  "But  was  that  all 
the  use  they  had  for  such  stones,  grandma  ?" 

"No ;  they  were  used  as  a  symbol  of  friend 
ship.  A  single  stone  would  be  cut  in  two,  one 
man  would  take  one  half,  his  friend  the  other, 
each  would  write  his  name  on  the  piece  he 


20     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

held,  then  they  would  exchange  them,  eacE 
keeping  his  piece  with  his  friend's  name  upon 
it,  as  proof  and  pledge  of  that  friend's  love. 
They  might  be  so  separated  afterwards  as  not 
to  see  or  hear  from  each  other  for  years,  and 
perhaps,  if  they  met  again,  not  be  able  to 
recognize  each  other,  because  of  changed  ap 
pearances,  but  the  stone  would  help  them  to 
prove  their  identity  and  give  them  the  joy  of 
renewed  friendship.  And  when  they  died 
their  sons  would  inherit  those  valuable  stones, 
which  would  serve  as  helpers  in  keeping  up 
the  friendship  of  their  fathers." 

Elsie  sat  for  a  moment  in  thoughtful  si 
lence,  then  turning  to  her  grandma,  with  a 
sweet  smile:  "That  was  a  nice  lesson,"  she 
said.  "Thank  you  very  much  for  it,  grand 
ma." 

"What  was  that,  daughter  ?"  asked  the  cap 
tain,  approaching  them  at  that  moment.  In 
reply  Elsie  showed  her  stone  and  repeated 
what  her  grandma  had  been  telling  her. 

"That  was  a  very  good  lesson,"  said  her 
father.  "Keep  the  little  white  stone,  daugh- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    21 

ter,  and  when  you  look  at  it  remember  the 
Master's  promise  given  with  it — look  to  Him 
for  strength  to  overcome,  and  you  will  not 
fail.  He  says  to  each  one  of  His  children: 
Tear  thou  not;  for  I  am  with  thee;  be  not 
dismayed,  for  I  am  thy  God;  I  will 
strengthen  thee;  yea,  I  will  help  thee;  yea, 
I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my 
righteousness.'  Again  and  again  in  that  same 
chapter  He  repeats  His  gracious  admonition 
to  His  people  not  to  fear,  because  they  are 
His — He  is  their  God  and  will  help  them." 

"Oh,  it  is  lovely,  papa,  lovely  to  belong  to 
Him  and  know  that  He  will  bring  us  safely 
all  the  way  through  this  world  to  the  home 
with  Him  that  He  has  prepared  for  us 
above !"  exclaimed  the  little  girl  in  joyous 
tones,  her  eyes  shining  with  happiness. 

At  the  moment  Violet  came  in  from  the 
gallery,  whither  all  the  rest  of  the  party  had 
already  gone. 

"Come,  mamma  dear,"  she  said,  "we  want 
your  company,  and  have  a  comfortable  chair 
placed  ready  for  you.  Plenty  of  room  and  a 


22  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

warm  welcome,  Levis,  for  you  and  our  little 
daughter,  also,"  she  added,  turning  her  sweet, 
smiling  face  toward  her  husband. 

All  three  promptly  accepted  her  invitation, 
and  found  it  very  delightful  to  gaze  upon  the 
beautiful  grounds  just  below  them,  and  the 
sparkling,  restless  ocean  beyond,  also  to  in 
hale  the  delightful  sea  breeze — all  in  the 
pleasant  company  of  those  whose  conversation 
was  both  interesting  and  instructive. 

The  summons  to  the  tea  table  presently 
called  them  away  from  that  pleasant  spot,  but 
they  returned  to  it  until  the  approach  of  bed 
time;  then  with  cordial  and  kindly  good- 
nights  they  separated. 

But  Lucilla  came  back  presently  to  find  her 
father  pacing  the  gallery  to  and  fro  as  was  his 
wont  at  home.  Pausing  in  his  walk,  he  wel 
comed  her  with  a  smile,  put  an  arm  about  her 
and  gave  her  a  kiss  that  seemed  to  say  she 
was  very  dear  to  him. 

"Father,"  she  said,  "you  were  so  kind  to 
bring  us  all  here  to  this  lovely  place." 

"Kind  to  myself  as  well  as  to  others,"  he 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     23 

said  with  a  smile ;  "I  am  very  glad,  daughter, 
to  know  that  you  are  enjoying  it." 

"I  am,  father  dear,  more  than  I  can  find 
words  to  express,  as  is  Chester,  also;  and  I 
think  the  change  is  improving  his  health." 

"Yes,  I  think  so,  and  hope  he  will  go  home 
entirely  recovered.  Ah,  who  is  this  ?"  as  an 
other  girlish  figure  came  gliding  toward 
them. 

"Another  of  your  daughters,  father,"  an 
swered  a  sweet-toned  voice;  "I  didn't  know 
you  had  a  companion — though  I  might  have 
guessed  it — and  I  wanted  a  bit  of  chat  about 
your  absent  son.  Isn't  it  time  for  letters?" 

"Hardly,  Eva,  my  dear,  though  possibly 
we  may  hear  to-morrow  or  next  day,"  replied 
the  captain,  putting  an  arm  about  her  and 
drawing  her  close  to  his  side. 

"I  wish  Max  could  get  a  furlough  and  join 
us  here,"  said  Lucilla.  "I  feel  almost  mean, 
Eva,  to  be  enjoying  the  society  of  my  hus 
band  while  yours  is  so  far  away." 

"Oh,  Lu,  dear,  don't  feel  so,"  returned 
Evelyn;  "your  happiness  certainly  does  not 


24     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

make  mine  any  less;  no,  it  makes  it  more; 
because,  loving  you,  I  rejoice  in  your  happi 
ness." 

They  chatted  but  a  few  moments  longer, 
then  bidding  the  captain  good-night,  hastened 
away  to  their  own  rooms. 


DE.  TRAVILLA,  coming  out  the  next  morn 
ing  upon  that  part  of  the  gallery  where  their 
party  had  spent  the  previous  evening,  found 
Mr.  Lilburn  and  the  captain  pacing  to  and 
fro,  chatting  and  laughing  as  if  enjoying  their 
promenade. 

"You  see  we  are  ahead  of  you,  Harold," 
Baid  the  captain,  when  morning  greetings  had 
been  exchanged. 

"Yes ;  very  much  ?"  asked  Harold. 

"Enough  for  a  stroll  around  this  great 
building  to  note  its  size  and  architectural  fea 
tures.  'Tis  an  immense  pile  and  well  ar 
ranged  for  comfort  and  convenience." 

"And  in  a  delightful  situation,"  supple 
mented  Mr.  Lilburn. 

"I  agree  with  you  both  and  am  entirely 
willing  to  spend  some  days  or  weeks  in  it  if 
you  wish,"  returned  Harold;  "provided  the 


26     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

situation  agrees  with  my  patients,  as  I  hope 
and  expect  it  will,"  he  added. 

Just  then  Lucilla,  Evelyn  and  Grace  added 
themselves  to  the  little  group,  and  pleasant 
morning  greetings  were  exchanged,  the  cap 
tain  bestowing  a  fatherly  caress  upon  each 
daughter — Evelyn  being  as  affectionately 
greeted  as  either  of  the  other  two. 

A  few  moments  later  they  were  joined  by 
the  rest  of  their  party,  and  all  descended  to 
gether  to  the  dining-room  to  partake  of  an 
excellent  breakfast.  Soon  after  leaving  the 
table  they  were  out  for  the  day's  sight-seeing 
and  adventures.  They  visited  parks,  gar 
dens,  a  museum,  an  ostrich  farm,  and  a  num 
ber  of  other  attractive  places,  then  took  a  fine 
drive  along  the  beach,  returning  in  time  for 
the  evening  meal  at  their  pleasant  house  of 
entertainment. 

So  delightful  did  they  find  Hotel  del  Cor- 
onado  that  they  lingered  there  for  a  week. 

Then  they  left  it  for  San  Diego,  which  they 
found  wonderfully  beautiful,  with  one  of  the 
finest  harbors  in  the  world.  It  was  delightful 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     27 

to  sit  and  gaze  upon  the  blue,  sunlit  bay,  and 
breathe  the  delicious  sea  breeze. 

Then  there  were  most  enjoyable  drives  to 
be  taken,  visiting  various  attractive  spots 
within  a  few  miles'  distance. 

One  day  they  drove  to  Lakeside,  twenty- 
two  miles  away,  where  they  ate  a  good  dinner 
at  the  hotel,  then  wandered  across  the  mesa 
in  its  rear,  and  had  a  lovely  view  of  its  little 
lake. 

Another  day  they  drove  into  the  Monte,  a 
large  park  of  a  thousand  acres.  There  were 
great  trees — elders,  willows,  sycamores  and 
live-oaks  with  enormous  trunks,  with  plenty 
of  flowers  underneath  them  and  upon  the 
rocks,  wild  peonies,  with  variegated  leaves, 
wild  galiardia,  tiny  starry  white  flowers, 
pretty  forget-me-nots,  and  others  too  numer 
ous  to  mention.  Many  kinds  of  beautiful 
ferns,  also. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  different  drive  for 
every  day  in  the  week,  all  beautiful  and  en 
joyable.  So  a  week  passed  most  pleasantly, 
then  they  took  the  Surf  line  from  San  Diego 


28     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

to  Los  Angeles.  It  was  a  seventy-mile  ride, 
but  with  so  much  that  was  interesting  to  see 
and  gaze  upon,  and  such  delicious  air  to 
breathe,  that  it  did  not  seem  a  long  or  weari 
some  trip.  There  was  the  great  ocean,  with 
its  curling,  sparkling  waves,  and  seals  and 
porpoises  frolicking  in  the  water,  gulls  circ 
ling  above  them,  and  from  the  ground  flocks 
of  birds  starting  up  in  affright  at  the  ap 
proach  of  the  train.  Then  when  the  train 
carried  them  away  from  the  view  of  the  ocean 
there  were  the  wonderful  groves  of  great 
trees,  carpets  of  wild  flowers,  and  the  towns 
of  Santa  Ana  and  Anaheim. 

"What  is  the  name  of  the  place  we  are  go 
ing  to,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned,  as  they  drew  near 
the  end  of  their  short  journey. 

"'Nuestra  Senora  la  Reina  de  los  An 
geles,"  replied  the  captain,  gravely  enough 
but  with  a  gleam  of  fun  in  his  eye. 

"What  a  long  name!"  cried  Hed.  "I 
should  think  they  would  have  to  make  it 
shorter  sometimes  when  they're  in  a  hurry." 

"Yes,  sometimes  it  is  called  'The  City  of 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  29 

the  Angels/  but  even  that  is  too  long;  30  it 
commonly  goes  by  name  of  Los  Angeles." 

"Oh,  that's  better,"  said  Ned ;  "just  a  long 
enough  name,  I  think." 

They  found  Los  Angeles  a  handsome  city, 
environed  by  gardens  filled  with  beautiful 
flowers.  They  spent  a  few  days  there,  then 
went  on  to  Pasadena,  nine  miles  from  Los 
Angeles,  hearing  that  it  was  eight  hundred 
feet  higher  and  the  air  much  drier ;  informa 
tion  which  drew  from  Dr.  Harold  the  opinion 
that  it  would  be  much  more  beneficial  for  his 
invalids. 

They  found  it  a  very  Eden-like  place,  sit 
uated  in  the  beautiful  San  Gabriel  Valley, 
and  at  the  foot  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range  of 
mountains. 

"Pasadena,  'the  Crown  of  the  Valley/" 
murmured  Grandma  Elsie  delightedly,  from 
the  carriage  window,  as  they  drove  to  their 
hotel. 

"It  looks  a  veritable  paradise,"  said  Violet ; 
"it  reminds  me  of  a  description  of  Pasadena 
I  heard  given  by  a  lady  at  the  Hotel  del  Cor- 


90     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

onado.  She  said  one  would  find  plenty  of 
flowers  in  bloom,  but  at  the  same  time  you 
would  need  to  wear  flannels  and  sealskin 
sacks;  there  would  be  snow-capped  moun 
tains  and  orange  blossoms ;  the  trees  are  green 
all  the  year  and  you  go  outdoors  in  Decem 
ber  to  get  warm ;  where  rats  build  in  the  trees 
and  squirrels  live  in  the  ground  with  owls." 

"And  where  the  boys  climb  up  hill  on 
burros  and  slide  down  hills  on  wheels," 
laughed  Grace.  "I  hope  we  shall  see  some  of 
those  funny  things  and  doings." 

"I  hope  we  shall,"  said  Lucilla,  "and  I 
particularly  want  to  see  the  hedges  of  calla- 
lilies,  geraniums  and  heliotrope." 

"Well,  I  think  we  are  likely  to  stay  long 
enough  for  you  all  to  see  whatever  there  is  to 
be  seen,"  said  the  captain. 

"Yes,  I  am  glad  we  don't  have  to  hurry 
away,"  remarked  Grace  in  a  blithe  and 
cheery  tone. 

"As  we  all  are,  I  think,"  said  Grandma 
Elsie.  "I  don't  know  who  could  fail  to  desire 
to  stay  awhile  in  so  lovely  a  place  as  this." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     31 

"And  we  will  have  nothing  to  call  us  away 
until  we  are  all  ready  to  go,"  said  Captain. 
Uaymond. 

But  their  arrival  at  their  house  of  enter 
tainment  now  brought  the  conversation  to  a 
close. 

They  found  Pasadena  so  charming  that 
they  lingered  there  week  after  week.  The 
town  was  beautiful,  protected  on  three  sides 
by  mountain  ranges  and  surrounded  by  groves 
and  gardens,  trees  and  hedges.  There  were 
roses  clambering  to  the  tops  of  houses  and 
covered  by  tens  of  thousands  of  blossoms,  and 
there  were  passion  vines  completely  cover 
ing  the  arbors.  There  were  hedges  made  of 
the  honeysuckle,  the  pomegranite  and  the 
heliotrope.  Marengo  Avenue  they  found 
lined  on  both  sides  by  the  beautiful  pepper 
tree. 

There  is  a  fine  hotel  called  The  Raymond, 
but  it  was  closed  at  this  time;  so  that  our 
friends,  though  attracted  by  the  name,  could 
see  only  the  grounds  and  the  outside  of  the 
buildings.  It  is  set  upon  a  hill  commanding 


32     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

a  fine  view,  and  in  the  winter  season  is  filled 
to  overflowing,  but  it  is  always  closed  in 
April.  They  found  the  hill  on  which  it 
stands  an  excellent  point  of  view  of  the  coun 
try,  and  itself  a  mountain  of  bloom,  color  and 
fragrance ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  views 
from  the  windows  and  broad  verandas — 
views  of  orchards,  gardens,  pretty  villas,  pur 
ple  foothills  and  snowy  ranges,  must  be  fine 
indeed. 

"What  a  beautiful  place  it  is,"  exclaimed 
little  Elsie  when  they  had  gone  about  the 
house,  viewing  it  and  grounds  from  side  to 
side.  "I  wish  it  was  open  so  we  could  stay 
here.  Papa,  it  has  our  name;  are  the  folks 
who  own  it  related  to  us  ?" 

"I  don't  know,  daughter,  but  I  hardly  think 
so ;  it  is  not  an  uncommon  name,"  replied  the 
captain. 

"It's  a  good  name ;  I  don't  want  any  bet 
ter,"  said  Ned  sturdily. 

"I'm  glad  you  are  satisfied,  and  I  hope  you 
will  never  do  anything  to  disgrace  it,"  said 
his  father,  with  a  gratified  smile  and  an  affee- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     33 

tionate  pat  of  the  small  hand  which  happened 
to  be  held  in  his  at  the  moment. 

Our  party  found  a  great  deal  to  interest 
them  in  and  about  Pasadena.  There  were  the 
fine  hotels,  the  pleasant  boarding  houses,  the 
Public  Library  in  the  town,  and  three  miles 
away  the  old  mission  of  San  Gabriel.  They 
made  various  trips  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town 
— to  Mt.  San  Antonio,  ten  miles  away,  but 
none  too  far  for  a  little  trip,  they  thought; 
also  to  Mt.  San  Jacinto,  whose  height  is 
twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  Pacific. 

Our  friends  found  Pasadena  so  delightful 
that  they  lingered  there  for  some  weeks. 
Then  they  passed  on  in  a  southerly  direction 
till  they  reached  the  lovely  city  of  Santa  Bar 
bara,  where  they  lingered  still  longer,  finding 
the  place  itself  wonderfully  attractive  and  the 
many  drives  in  the  vicinity  delightful.  They 
found  that  there  were  as  many  as  twenty-eight 
distinct  and  beautiful  drives,  and  almost 
every  day  they  tried  one  or  more  of  them. 
They  greatly  enjoyed  the  scenery — the  moun 
tains,  the  valleys,  the  beautiful  villas,  with 


34 

their  trees,  shrubs,  vines  and  flowers,  one 
grape-vine  in  especial  with  a  trunk  eight 
inches  in  diameter,  with  foliage  covering  ten 
thousand  square  feet,  and  which  they  were 
told  yielded  in  one  year  twelve  thousand 
pounds  of  grapes. 

Another  drive  took  them  to  the  lighthouse, 
where  from  the  balcony  there  was  a  fine  view 
of  the  fields  below,  the  blue  sea  beyond  them, 
and  the  blue  sky  overhead.  There  was  hardly 
anything  which  the  ladies  of  our  party  and 
little  Elsie  enjoyed  more  than  the  sight  of  the 
vast  profusion  of  roses — hundreds  of  varie 
ties  and  vines  covering  many  feet  of  arbor  or 
veranda. 

Santa  Barbara  proved  a  place  hard  to 
leave,  and  they  lingered  there  for  a  number  of 
weeks,  all  of  them — especially  those  who  had 
been  on  the  invalid  list — feeling  that  they 
were  constantly  gaining  in  health  and 
strength.  News  from  their  homes  was 
favorable  to  their  stay ;  everything  seemed  to 
be  going  on  very  well  without  them ;  so  they 
yielded  to  the  fascinations  of  this  Western 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     35 

fairy  land  and  lingered  weeks  longer  than 
they  had  intended  when  they  came. 

The  summer  was  nearly  over;  they  began 
to  think  it  time  to  be  on  the  move  toward 
home,  and  after  a  little  talk  on  the  subject 
decided  to  start  the  next  day,  go  on  to  San 
Francisco,  tarry  there  a  few  days,  then  travel 
eastward  to  their  homes. 

Evelyn  was  the  most  eager  for  the  start; 
it  seemed  so  long  since  she  had  last  seen  her 
young  husband,  and  they  were  hoping  he 
might  get  a  furlough  and  spend  some  weeks 
with  her  at  Crag  Cottage,  their  pretty  home 
on  the  Hudson. 

They  tarried  in  San  Francisco  long  enough! 
to  acquaint  themselves  with  all  its  beauties, 
then  wended  their  way  eastward  as  fast  as  the 
cars  could  carry  them.  They  felt  it  still  too 
early  in  the  season  for  an  immediate  return 
to  their  southern  homes,  but  they  scattered  to 
various  places  in  the  north — some  to  visit 
relatives,  some  to  the  seaside,  while  several 
accepted  an  invitation  from  Evelyn  to  spend 
some  weeks  at  Crag  Cottage.  She  knew  that 


36  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

her  aunt,  Elsie  Leland,  was  already  there, 
and  had  everything  in  order  for  their  recep 
tion.  Grandma  Elsie,  Dr.  Harold  Travilla, 
Grace  Raymond  and  her  sister,  Lucilla,  were 
the  others  who  accepted  the  invitation.  But 
Captain  Raymond,  Violet  and  their  two 
younger  children  expected  to  visit  for  some 
weeks  one  of  Long  Island's  seaside  resorts. 

Max  had  written  to  Evelyn  that  he  hoped 
for  a  furlough  that  would  enable  him  to  join 
her  at  their  cottage  and  spend  with  her  the 
few  weeks  she  would  care  to  stay  there ;  and 
she  was  looking  forward  to  that  reunion  with 
eager  delight,  while  journeying  from  far-off 
California  to  the  home  of  her  childhood. 

"Father  and  Mamma  Vi,"  she  said  to  them 
as  they  journeyed  through  the  State  of  New 
York,  "stop  with  me  at  Crag  Cottage  and 
make  at  least  a  little  visit  there.  I  think 
you  will  see  Max  if  you  do.  I  have  a 
feeling  that  he  will  be  there  to  meet  us  on  our 
arrival." 

"Thank  you,  daughter,"  returned  Captain 
Raymond,  with  a  look  of  pleasure,  "I  shall  be 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     37 

happy  to  accept  your  invitation  if  it  suits  my 
wife  to  do  so.  What  do  you  say,  Violet,  my; 
dear?" 

"That  I  accept  gladly !  I  shall  be  pleased  to 
see  both  Max  and  the  pretty  cottage;  as  well 
as  to  be  Eva's  guest  for  a  few  days." 

"And  what  will  Elsie  and  I  do?"  asked 
Ned,  with  a  roguish  look.  "Go  on  to  the 
seashore  by  ourselves  ?" 

"No,  little  brother,  we  wouldn't  any  of  us 
be  willing  to  trust  you  to  do  that,"  laughed 
Evelyn,  "and  large  as  you  are,  I  think  the 
•cottage  can  be  made  to  hold  you  two  in  addi 
tion  to  the  others." 

"Oh,  good !  I'm  glad  of  that,  for  I  always 
enjoy  a  visit  to  Crag  Cottage,"  cried  Ned, 
clapping  his  hands  in  glee. 

"And  I  hope  you  will  be  often  there  visit 
ing  your  brother  and  sister,"  said  Evelyn, 
smiling  affectionately  and  patting  the  hand 
he  had  laid  upon  the  arm  of  her  seat. 

Her  invitation  was  not  extended  to  other 
members  of  the  party,  as  their  plans  were  al 
ready  made.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lilburn  had 


38  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

already  left  them  to  visit  their  relatives  at 
Pleasant  Plains,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horace 
Dinsmore  had  announced  their  intention  of 
visiting  theirs  in  the  neighborhood  of  Phila 
delphia. 

"We  will  reach  New  York  presently/'  re 
marked  the  captain,  after  a  little,  "and  there 
we  will  leave  the  train  and  go  aboard  the 
Dolphin,  if,  as  I  have  every  reason  to  expect, 
she  is  lying  at  the  dock  there ;  and  we  can  all 
journey  up  to  Crag  Cottage  in  her." 

"Which  will  be  a  pleasant  change  from 
travelling  on  land  in  a  car,"  remarked 
Lucilla. 

"You  will  go  with  us,  will  you  not,  Ches 
ter  ?"  asked  Evelyn. 

"Thank  you,"  he  returned  heartily;  "I 
must  leave  my  wife  with  you  and  hurry  on 
home  to  attend  to  some  professional  matters 
that  I  have  neglected  too  long  in  my  desire  to 
fully  recover  my  health." 

"Be  careful  that  you  don't  lose  it  again," 
said  Dr.  Travilla,  warningly. 

"Oh,  yes,  for  your  wife's  sake  be  careful," 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     39 

urged  Lucilla,  a  look  of  anxiety  on  her  usu 
ally  bright,  happy  face. 

"You  may  trust  me  for  that,  I  think," 
Chester  returned  laughingly.  A  few  hours 
later  they  reached  New  York,  and  as  they 
left  the  train  Evelyn  was  overjoyed  to  find 
herself  in  her  husband's  arms.  His  furlough 
had  been  granted.  He  had  already  been 
aboard  the  Dolphin  and  was  able  to  assure 
them  that  everything  there  and  at  Crag  Cot 
tage  was  in  order  for  their  reception. 

They  had  already  bade  good-by  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Horace  Dinsmore,  who  were  going  on 
at  once  to  Philadelphia,  Chester  with  them 
as  far  as  that  city,  so  the  party  for  the  Dol 
phin  went  aboard  of  her  without  any  unneces 
sary  delay,  and  immediately  journeyed  in  her 
up  to  their  desired  haven. 

It  was  a  short  voyage,  made  doubly  pleas 
ant  by  the  happy  reunion  of  near  and  dear 
ones,  for  it  was  a  great  joy  to  Max  to  have 
his  wife  again  by  his  side,  and  father,  young 
stepmother,  sisters  and  brother  close  at  hand ; 
all  showing  delight  in  the  reunion  and  great 


40     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

affection  for  him.  The  presence  of  Grandma 
Elsie  and  her  son,  the  good  and  lovable  phy 
sician,  was  no  drawback  upon  the  felicity  of 
any  one  of  them. 

And  a  most  joyous  and  affectionate  greet 
ing  awaited  them  all  on  reaching  their  des 
tination,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leland  and  their  sons 
and  daughters  evidently  delighted  at  their  ar 
rival  ;  a  natural  consequence  of  the  many  ties 
of  kinship  existing  among  them. 

Mrs.  Leland  had  done  her  part  well;  she 
had  capable  servants  under  her,  the  house  was 
in  beautiful  order,  and  the  table  well  served. 
Several  days  passed  most  delightfully,  mostly 
on  shore,  though  some  little  trips  were  taken 
in  the  yacht.  Then  the  Raymonds  began  to 
talk  of  leaving,  but  were  urged  to  stay  on  a 
little  longer. 


CHAPTEE  IV 

IT  was  early  morning,  the  sun  just  peep 
ing  over  the  mountain  tops  on  the  farther  side 
of  the  river,  when  Captain  Raymond  might 
have  been  seen  pacing  to  and  fro  in  the  beauti 
ful  grounds  of  Crag  Cottage.  Now  and  then 
he  glanced  toward  the  open  hall  door,  expect 
ing  that  Lucilla  would  join  him  in  his  early 
stroll  as  she  so  often  did.  Presently  some 
one  did  step  out  and  hasten  toward  him.  It 
was  not  Lucilla,  however,  but  Dr.  Harold 
Travilla. 

"Good-morning,  Grandpa  Raymond,"  was 
Harold's  greeting,  with  a  bow  and  smile. 

"What?"  cried  the  captain,  standing  still 
in  surprise. 

"A  pretty  little  girl  has  just  arrived, 
scarcely  an  hour  ago,  and  as  Max  claims  to  be 
her  father,  I  take  it  that  Max's  father  must  be 
her  grandsire." 


42     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Ah !  An  astonishing  bit  of  news  !  She 
was  not  expected  so  soon  ?" 

"No,  not  for  some  weeks  yet,  but  the  par 
ents  are  very  happy  over  her  prompt  arrival. 
So  far  both  mother  and  child  are  doing 
well." 

"That  is  good  news ;  all  you  have  told  me  is 
good  news,  although  it  seems  a  little  odd  to 
think  of  myself  as  a  grandfather,"  remarked 
the  captain  with  a  smile.  Then  turning  to 
Lucilla,  who  joined  them  at  that  moment,  he 
told  the  news  to  her. 

"Oh,"  she  cried,  "how  nice !  Harold,  can 
I  go  in  now,  speak  to  Eva  and  look  at  her 
treasure  ?" 

"Not  yet,"  he  said ;  "she  needs  rest  and  I 
think  is  sleeping.  We  will  let  you  in  some 
hours  later." 

"Thank  you.  I  don't  want  to  go  to  her 
until  her  physician  considers  it  quite  safe  to 
do  so,"  returned  Lucilla. 

"Nor  do  I,"  said  the  captain,  "though  I 
shall  be  pleased  to  get  sight  of  my  first  grand 
child." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     43 

"Oh,  yes,  she  has  made  you  a  grandfather, 
papa,"  laughed  Lucilla.  "How  odd  that 
seems !" 

"And  you,  Grace  and  Elsie,  aunts ;  Ned — 
my  little  Ned — an  uncle." 

"Oh,  won't  he  be  tickled !"  laughed  Lucilla. 

"We  will  see,"  laughed  the  captain,  "for 
here  he  comes,"  as  Ned  was  seen  at  that  mo 
ment  approaching  them  in  their  walk. 

"Good-morning,  papa  and  Sister  Lu,"  he 
cried,  as  he  drew  near.  "Good-morning, 
Uncle  Harold." 

"Good-morning,"  returned  his  father. 
"Have  you  heard  the  news  ?" 

"News,  papa?  No,  sir;  what  is  it?"  he 
asked,  putting  his  hand  into  that  of  his  father. 
"Nothing  bad,  I  guess,  'cause  you  look 
pleased ;  and  so  do  sister  and  uncle." 

"I  hope  you,  too,  will  be  pleased  when  you 
hear  it,"  said  his  father.  "You  have  a  little 
niece,  Ned.  You  are  an  uncle." 

"Oh,  am  I?  Why  how  did  it  happen? 
Where  is  she  ?" 

"Only    a    little    baby,"  laughed    Lucilla. 


44     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Brother  Max  and  Sister  Eva  are  her  father 
and  mother." 

"And  God  gave  her  to  them  a  little  while 
ago,"  added  their  father.  "And  I  want  you 
to  remember  to  make  no  noise  anywhere 
about  the  house,  because  your  Sister  Eva  is 
not  well  and  noise  would  be  very  apt  to  make 
her  worse." 

"Yes,  sir,  I  think  I  can  remember  to  be 
quiet  so  as  not  to  hurt  Sister  Eva  or  wake  the 
baby  if  it  is  asleep.  I'd  like  to  see  it,  though." 

"I  think  we  will  all  be  treated  to  a  sight  of 
it  before  very  long,"  said  the  captain. 

"Oh,"  cried  Ned,  "there  are  mamma  and 
Elsie  on  the  porch.  Let's  go  and  tell  them 
the  good  news." 

And  away  he  ran,  followed  by  his  father 
and  Sister  Lu. 

"Oh,  mamma,  have  you  heard  the  news  ?" 
he  cried,  as  he  came  panting  up  the  steps. 

"That  I  am  a  grandmother  and  you  an 
uncle  ?"  she  asked,  with  a  merry  little  laugh. 

"Why,  no,  mamma,  you  are  not  old  enough 
to  be  that,"  exclaimed  Elsie. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  43 

"No,  indeed !"  cried  Ned.  "But  papa  is  a 
grandfather  and  Lu  and  Grace  and  Elsie  are 
aunts  and  I'm  an  uncle.  Oh,  isn't  it  funny  3" 

"I  hope  you  will  be  a  well-behaved  uncle 
and  not  make  your  little  niece  ashamed  of 
you,"  laughed  Violet. 

"I  guess  she  won't  be,"  returned  Ned. 
"Anyhow,  not  till  she  gets  bigger.  She's  just 
a  baby  now,  papa  says." 

Captain  Raymond  and  Lucilla  were  now 
coming  up  the  porch  steps  and  at  the  same 
moment  Max  stepped  out  from  the  hall  door. 
He  was  looking  very  happy. 

"Good-morning,  father,"  he  said.  "Good- 
morning,  Mamma  Vi,  and  all  of  you.  Father, 
I  suppose  Harold  has  told  you  the  news  ?" 

"Yes,  my  dear  boy;  very  pleasant  news, 
though  it  seems  to  add  something  to  my  age 
to  know  myself  a  grandfather,"  returned  the 
captain  with  a  smile,  and  taking  Max's  ex 
tended  hand  in  a  warm  pressure. 

"What  did  you  choose  a  girl  for,  Brother 
Max?"  asked  Ned.  "I  should  think  you'd 
rather  have  a  boy." 


46     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"No,  little  brother,"  laughed  Max.  "I'm 
glad  it  is  a  girl,  and  always  shall  be  glad,  if 
she  grows  up  to  be  just  like  her  mother,  as  I 
hope  she  will." 

"I  hope  so  too,  Max,  and  I  am  well  pleased 
that  she  is  a  girl,"  said  Lucilla,  "but  I  am 
glad  that  father  and  mother  had  a  boy  first 
so  that  I  have  always  had  an  older  brother  to 
look  up  to." 

"And  you  have  really  looked  up  to  him  ?" 
laughed  Max.  "I  haven't  always  known  it, 
and  certainly  have  not  always  been  worthy 
of  it." 

Just  then  they  were  joined  by  Grandma 
Elsie  and  her  daughter,  Mrs.  Leland,  with 
her  husband  and  children. 

All  had  heard  the  news  and  were  full  of  the 
subject.  The  ladies  and  children  wanted  to 
see  the  little  newcomer,  but  that  could  not  be 
for  the  present  without  running  the  risk  of 
disturbing  its  mother,  and  just  then  came  the 
summons  to  the  breakfast  table. 

Dr.  Harold  was  with  them  there,  and  on 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     47 

being  questioned  spoke  in  a  cheerful,  hopeful 
way  of  his  patient. 

"I  left  her  asleep,"  he  said,  "and  looking 
very  peaceful  and  comfortable,  the  bit  lassie 
reposing  by  her  side.  The  nurse  seems  a 
capable  one  and  I  think  will  take  the  best  care 
of  both  mother  and  babe." 

"When  can  we  see  it,  Uncle  Harold?" 
asked  little  Elsie. 

"After  its  mother  wakes  yours  or  mine  will 
probably  carry  it  out  into  the  dressing-room 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  if  you  two  will 
engage  to  be  very  quiet  you  may  go  in  there 
and  take  a  peep  at  the  little  nameless  stran 
ger,"  replied  the  doctor. 

"Nameless !"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "Oh, 
Brother  Max,  what  are  you  going  to  name 
it?" 

"Its  mother  shall  name  it.  I  am  sure  she 
has  the  best  right,"  replied  Max. 

"So  I  think,"  said  his  father.  "Violet,  my 
dear,  how  soon  will  you  be  ready  for  our  trip 
down  the  river  ?" 

"I  think  I  can  make  ready  in  an  hour  or 


48     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

two  at  any  time,"  Violet  answered  with  a 
smile. 

"Oh,  father,  don't  think  of  leaving  us!" 
exclaimed  Max.  "I  am  absolutely  hungry 
for  a  good  visit  with  you ;  and  you  have  had 
sea  air  for  months  past.  Besides,  there  is 
plenty  of  room  here,  and  of  everything  else 
that  is  wanted.  I  hope  you  will  all  stay  until 
Eva  and  I  are  ready  to  go." 

"Thank  you,  my  son,"  the  captain  said, 
giving  Max  a  look  of  fatherly  pride  and 
pleasure ;  "a  few  weeks  of  your  society  will 
be  far  from  disagreeable  to  your  old  father. 
So,  Violet,"  turning  to  her,  "shall  we  accept 
his  invitation?" 

"Yes,  with  the  understanding  that  if  at 
any  time  we  prove  troublesome  company  we 
are  to  be  informed  that  such  is  the  case  and 
to  leave  at  very  short  notice." 

"You  may  be  sure  of  getting  such  notice  if 
your  conduct  calls  for  it,"  laughed  Mrs.  Le- 
land.  "So  don't  set  your  hearts  too  strongly 
upon  staying  here  as  long  as  Max  and  Eva 
do." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     49 

"There  is  not  the  slightest  danger  of  Sister 
Violet  earning  such  notice  and  hardly  of  her 
children  doing  so,"  remarked  Mr.  Leland, 
"but  I  am  not  so  sure  of  our  own  boys  and 
girls.  Remember,  my  children,"  glancing 
around  upon  them,  "that  you  are  to  play  very 
quietly  when  you  are  in  or  near  the  house 
while  Cousin  Eva  is  sick." 

In  answer  there  was  a  chorus  of  assurances 
that  they  would  be  very  careful  to  do  nothing 
to  injure  "dear  Cousin  Eva,"  but  everything 
they  could  to  help  her  to  get  well. 

An  hour  later  they  were  all — including 
Elsie  and  Ned — invited  to  go  quietly  into 
Cousin  Eva's  dressing-room  and  see  her  new 
treasure,  which  they  found  sleeping  on 
Grandma  Elsie's  lap.  They  all  regarded  it 
with  great  interest  and  pronounced  it  a  dear, 
pretty  little  thing. 

"What  is  its  name,  grandma  ?"  they  asked. 

"I  don't  think  she  has  any  yet,  except  that 
she  is  a  little  Miss  Raymond,"  Grandma  Elsie 
answered,  with  a  smile  and  a  loving  look 
down  into  the  wee  face. 


50  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Oh,  yes,  because  Brother  Max  is  her 
father  and  his  name  is  Raymond,"  said  little 
Elsie,  "and  Sisters  Lu  and  Grace  and  I  are 
her  aunts.  Oh,  I  think  it's  nice  to  have  such 
a  dear  little  niece !" 

"Or  cousin,"  said  Eric  Leland.  "I  can't 
be  her  uncle,  but  she's  my  cousin,  because 
her  mother  is." 

"Yes,"  said  Grandma  Elsie,  "so  she  is,  and 
I  hope  you  will  be  so  kind  to  her  that  she 
cannot  help  loving  you.  Now  you  may  all 
go  out  into  the  grounds  and  enjoy  yourselves 
there ;  far  enough  from  the  house  not  to  dis 
turb  your  sick  cousin  if  you  want  to  make 
any  noise." 

"I  think  we  will  all  try  to  be  quiet,  grand 
ma,"  said  Elsie,  "and  go  far  enough  away  not 
to  disturb  Sister  Eva  with  our  talk."  And 
with  that  they  all  passed  out  very  quietly. 

Elsie  led  the  way  to  the  summer  house  on 
the  edge  of  the  cliff,  which  had  always  been 
one  of  Evelyn's  favorite  resorts.  There  they 
seated  themselves,  enjoying  the  beautiful 
prospect  of  the  river  and  its  farther  shore. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  51 

"That  baby  is  a  dear,  pretty  little  cousin 
for  us  all,  isn't  she  ?"  remarked  Alie  Leland. 

"To  you  and  your  sister  and  brothers," 
Elsie  answered,  with  merry  look  and  tone; 
"but  niece  to  Ned  and  me,  you  must  remem 
ber,  because  her  father  is  our  brother." 

"Well,  I  don't  care,"  laughed  Alie.  "I  be 
lieve  it's  about  as  good  to  be  cousin  as  aunt." 


CHAPTER  V 

EVELYN  awoke  from  a  long,  quiet  sleep  to 
find  her  husband  sitting  by  her  side  and  gaz 
ing  upon  her  as  if  he  thought  her  the  greatest 
of  earthly  treasures. 

"Dear  Max,"  she  said,  smiling  up  in  his 
eyes,  "it  is  so  sweet  to  have  you  so  close — 
keeping  guard  over  me  as  if  I  were  the  dearest 
of  earthly  possessions." 

"That  is  just  what  you  are,  love,"  he  re 
turned,  leaning  over  her  and  kissing  lip  and 
cheek  and  brow.  "And  this  little  darling 
comes  next,"  he  added,  looking  down  at  the 
sleeping  babe  by  her  side. 

"Ah,  she  is  a  treasure,  oh,  such  a  treasure 
to  me — but  I  am  sorry  for  your  sake  that  she 
is  only  a  girl." 

"Only  a  girl !"  he  exclaimed.  "I  am  glad 
she  is  that.  I  would  not  have  her  anything 
else ;  and  I  hope  she  will  prove  a  second  edi 
tion  of  her  mother." 


53 

"Thank  you,  my  dear,"  Eva  said  with  a 
smile.  "But  she  must  have  a  name,  and  what 
shall  it  be?" 

"Whatever  pleases  her  mother,"  replied 
Max,  returning  the  smile. 

"No,  I  think  the  decision  should  rest  with 
her  father,"  Eva  said,  with  her  low,  sweet 
laugh. 

"Shall  we  call  her  Elsie  for  your  good,  kind 
aunt  ?"  returned  Max. 

"I  should  like  to  give  that  token  of  affec 
tion  to  both  her  and  her  mother,"  said  Evelyn, 
"were  it  not  that  there  are  already  so  many 
Elsies  in  the  connection.  How  would  Mary 
do  ?  Perhaps  shortening  it  to  Maie." 

"Quite  well,  I  think,"  said  Max.  "So  let 
us  call  her  our  little  Maie." 

"Little  treasure !"  murmured  Evelyn,  gaz 
ing  upon  the  baby  face.  "Oh,  Max,  I  feel  it 
very  sweet  to  be  a  mother — to  have  a  little 
darling  of  my  very  own." 

"And  I  find  it  far  from  unpleasant  to  be 
a  father,"  he  returned  gaily,  "the  only  draw 
back  upon  my  felicity  being  the  hard  fact 


54  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

that  I  must  leave  my  two  dearest  ones  so 
often  for  my  life  upon  the  sea." 

"Ah,"  she  sighed,  "I  must  try  not  to  think 
of  that  now.  It  is  a  hard  thought,  though  I 
am  proud  of  my  husband's  readiness  to  serve 
his  country." 

"A  country  well  worth  serving,  I  think," 
smiled  Max ;  "the  grandest  one  in  the  world." 

Doctor  and  nurse  both  came  in  at  that 
moment. 

"In  which  opinion  I  heartily  agree  with 
you,"  said  Harold,  having  overheard  Max's 
last  sentence.  "But  remember,  my  good 
naval  officer,  that  you  must  not  talk  in  too 
exciting  a  way  to  my  patient." 

"Oh,  I  am  not  at  all  excited,  but  if  you 
abuse  my  husband  I  shall  be,"  said  Evelyn, 
with  mirthful  look  and  tone. 

"Oh,  I  am  not  abusing  him  or  intending 
to,"  said  Harold,  "but  my  patient's  welfare 
must  always  receive  my  first  consideration." 

"Pleasant  doctrine  for  me  while  I  am  the 
patient,"  laughed  Evelyn. 

Harold  was  looking  at  the  sleeping  babe. 


ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONES     55 

"She's  a  pretty  bit  lassie  for  one  of  her  age," 
he  said,  "and  I  hope  one  of  these  days  to 
claim  her  as  my  niece." 

"So  you  may;  I  think  you  will  suit  very 
well  for  an  uncle,"  laughed  Max;  "an  uncle 
for  my  child  since  you  have  ceased  to  be  one 
for  myself." 

"Yes,  I  prefer  to  be  your  brother,"  was 
Harold's  response  to  that. 

"Grace  is  much  pleased  with  her  little 
niece,"  said  Evelyn,  "and  with  the  thought  of 
being  an  aunt ;  as  Lucilla  is,  also." 

"Yes,  and  the  little  cousins,  too,"  said 
Grandma  Elsie,  coming  in  at  that  moment. 
"Ah,  she  is  waking  now;  see,  her  eyes  are 
open.  Suppose  you  let  me  carry  her  into  the 
dressing-room  again  and  let  them  refresh 
their  eyes  with  another  sight  of  the  dear  little 
face." 

"Agreed,  Grandma  Elsie,  if  you  will  let 
me  go  along  to  witness  the  scene,"  said  Max. 
"I'll  carry  her  very  carefully  on  a  pillow." 

He  did  so,  and  laid  her  on  Grandma  Elsie's 
lap,  she  having  seated  herself  in  a  low,  easy- 


56     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

chair.  Then  the  children  were  notified  and 
gathered  about  her  in  an  eager,  excited  group, 
while  the  young  father  stood  near  looking 
on. 

"I  wish  I  might  hold  her  in  my  arms  for 
a  little,"  said  Alie  Leland. 

"No,  I'm  too  young;  don't  touch  me, 
cousins,"  the  baby  seemed  to  say. 

"Oh,  it  can  talk !  It  can  talk !"  cried  Alie 
Leland. 

"The  same  way  that  the  tee-tees  did," 
laughed  her  brother  Edward. 

"But  Cousin  Ronald  isn't  here,"  exclaimed 
several  child  voices. 

"No ;  but  Cousin  Max  is,  and  he  is  a  ven 
triloquist,  too,"  returned  Edward,  looking 
smilingly  at  the  baby's  father. 

"Well,  now,  Ned,"  said  Max,  "do  you 
really  think  my  little  girl  is  not  capable  of 
saying  a  few  words  for  herself?" 

"Oh,  I  daresay  she  will  talk  fast  enough 
some  of  these  days,"  laughed  the  lad,  "but  I 
know  babies  don't  talk  when  they  are  hardly 
a  week  old." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     57 

"Except  when  there's  a  ventriloquist  at 
hand,"  said  Eric. 

"Brother  Max,"  exclaimed  Ned,  "I'm  so 
glad  you  are  a  ventriloquist,  because  I  hope 
you'll  make  a  good  deal  of  fun  for  us,  as 
Cousin  Ronald  does." 

"Isn't  it  enough  for  me  to  help  my  little 
girl  to  talk  ?"  asked  Max. 

"That's  good,"  said  Ned.  "Please  make 
her  talk  some  more." 

"No,  you  talk,  Uncle  Ned,"  the  baby 
seemed  to  say,  and  Ned  laughed  and  shouted, 
"There!  she  called  me  uncle,  grandma  I 
She's  a  nice  baby,  isn't  she  ?" 

"I  think  so,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla,  "and 
we  must  all  be  careful  to  teach  her  only 
what  is  good  and  lovable." 

Violet  and  Lucilla  came  in  together  at  that 
moment. 

"I  must  have  a  look  at  my  little  niece," 
said  the  latter. 

"And  I  at  my  granddaughter,"  added 
Violet. 

"Oh,  mamma,  don't  say  that,"  exclaimed 


58     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Elsie.  "You  are  too  young  for  it ;  isn't  she, 
grandma  ?" 

"She  does  look  rather  young  to  lay  claim 
to  that  appellation/'  Grandma  Elsie  re 
turned,  with  an  admiring  smile  up  into  her 
daughter's  beautiful  and  youthful  face. 

"Ah,  but  her  own  grandsire  being  my  hus 
band  gives  me  something  of  a  right  in  that 
direction,"  laughed  Violet.  "And  anybody 
might  be  glad  to  claim  kinship  with  such  a 
darling,"  she  added,  gazing  down  at  the  babe 
as  it  lay  on  her  mother's  knee. 

"Thank  you,  Grandma  Vi,"  came  in  a 
feeble  little  voice,  apparently  from  the  lips 
of  the  babe. 

At  that  moment  the  captain  entered  the 
room. 

"Ah,  so  my  little  granddaughter  is  on  ex 
hibition,  I  see,"  he  said,  as  he  approached  the 
little  group  gathered  about  Grandma  Elsie 
and  the  babe. 

"Yes,  grandpa,"  she  seemed  to  say.  "My 
papa  helps  me  to  talk." 

"Does  he  ?    I'm  afraid  you  will  lose  your 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     59 

ability  to  talk  when  he  goes  away,"  said  the 
captain,  bending  down  over  the  babe  and  gaz 
ing  with  loving  admiration  into  the  wee  face. 
"She's  a  fine  child,  I  think,  Max,"  he  said, 
"one  that  I  am  proud  to  claim  as  my  grand 
child." 

"She  doesn't  seem  to  appreciate  your 
praise,  my  dear,"  said  Violet,  as  the  child 
began  to  squirm  and  cry. 

At  that  the  nurse  came  and  took  charge  of 
it,  and  its  visitors  vanished  to  other  parts  of 
the  house  or  the  grounds. 


CHAPTEK  VI 

THE  next  day  was  the  Sabbath,  and  all  wHo 
were  not  needed  in  the  sick  room  attended 
church  in  the  morning.  In  the  afternoon, 
according  to  their  old  custom,  they  assembled 
together  as  a  Bible  class,  the  captain — as  the 
oldest — being  the  leader.  The  subject  was 
the  !N"ew  Jerusalem,  its  beauties,  its  delights, 
and  the  character  and  bliss  of  its  inhabitants. 
"They  will  be  very  happy  there,"  said  the  cap 
tain.  "In  Isaiah  we  read,  'Behold,  my  ser 
vants  shall  sing  for  joy  of  heart.  .  .  .  Be 
hold,  I  create  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth : 
and  the  former  shall  not  be  remembered  nor 
come  into  mind.  But  be  ye  glad  and  rejoice 
in  that  which  I  create:  for  behold,  I  create 
Jerusalem  a  rejoicing  and  her  people  a  joy. 
And  I  will  rejoice  in  Jerusalem,  and  joy  in 
my  people :  and  the  voice  of  weeping  shall  be 
no  more  heard  in  her,  nor  the  voice  of  crying.' 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONEB  61 

Mother,  can  you  give  us  a  text  from  the  New 
Testament  teaching  that  there  is  no  weeping 
in  heaven  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Grandma  Elsie;  "in  the 
twenty-first  chapter  and  fourth  verse  of  Rev 
elation  we  read:  'And  God  shall  wipe  away 
all  tears  from  their  eyes;  and  there  shall  be 
no  more  death,  neither  sorrow,  nor  crying, 
neither  shall  there  be  any  more  pain ;  for  the 
former  things  are  passed  away.'  It  was  sin," 
she  said,  "that  brought  sorrow,  pain,  sickness 
and  death  into  the  world :  there  will  be  none 
of  any  of  them  in  the  New  Jerusalem." 

"Will  some  one  give  us  a  Bible  description 
of  the  New  Jerusalem?"  asked  the  captain. 

"I  will  read  it,  father,"  said  Grace. 
"  'And  he  carried  me  away  in  the  spirit  to  a 
great  and  high  mountain,  and  shewed  me  that 
great  city,  the  holy  Jerusalem,  descending 
out  of  heaven  from  God,  having  the  glory  of 
God ;  and  her  light  was  like  unto  a  stone  most 
precious,  even  like  a  jasper  stone,  clear  as 
crystal ;  and  had  a  wall  great  and  high,  and 
had  twelve  gates,  and  at  the  gates  twelve 


62     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

angels,  and  names  written  thereon,  which  are 
the  names  of  the  twelve  tribes  of  the  children 
of  Israel:  On  the  east  three  gates;  on  the 
north  three  gates ;  on  the  south  three  gates ; 
and  on  the  west  three  gates.  And  the  wall  of 
the  city  had  twelve  foundations,  and  in  them 
the  names  of  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 
And  he  that  talked  with  me  had  a  golden  reed 
to  measure  the  city,  and  the  gates  thereof,  and 
the  wall  thereof.  And  the  city  lieth  four 
square,  and  the  length  is  as  large  as  the 
breadth:  and  he  measured  the  city  with  the 
reed  twelve  thousand  furlongs.  The  length 
and  the  breadth  and  the  height  of  it  are  equal. 
And  he  measured  the  wall  thereof,  an  hun 
dred  and  forty  and  four  cubits,  according  to 
the  measure  of  a  man,  that  is,  of  the  angel. 
And  the  building  of  the  wall  of  it  was  of  jas 
per:  and  the  city  was  pure  gold,  like  unto 
clear  glass.  And  the  foundations  of  the  wall 
of  the  city  were  garnished  with  all  manner  of 
precious  stones.  The  first  foundation  was 
jasper;  the  second,  sapphire;  the  third,  a 
chalcedony ;  the  fourth,  an  emerald ;  the  fifth, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     63 

sardonyx;  the  sixth,  sardius;  the  seventh, 
chrysolyte;  the  eighth,  beryl;  the  ninth,  a 
topaz ;  the  tenth,  a  chrysoprasus ;  the  eleventh, 
a  jacinth;  the  twelfth,  an  amethyst.  And 
the  twelve  gates  were  twelve  pearls;  every 
several  gate  was  of  one  pearl :  and  the  street 
of  the  city  was  pure  gold,  as  it  were  trans 
parent  glass.  And  I  saw  no  temple  therein : 
for  the  Lord  God  Almighty  and  the  Lamb  are 
the  temple  of  it.  And  the  city  had  no  need 
of  the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon,  to  shine  in  it : 
for  the  glory  of  God  did  lighten  it,  and  the 
Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.  And  the  nations 
of  them  which  are  saved  shall  walk  in  the 
light  of  it :  and  the  kings  of  the  earth  do  bring 
their  glory  and  honour  into  it.  And  the  gates 
of  it  shall  not  be  shut  at  all  by  day :  for  there 
shall  be  no  night  there.  And  they  shall  bring 
the  glory  and  honour  of  the  nations  into  it. 
And  there  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  any 
thing  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever  work- 
eth  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie:  but  they 
•which  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of 
life.' " 


64 

"What  a  beautiful,  glorious  city  it  will 
be !"  she  exclaimed,  when  she  had  finished. 

"Yes,"  said  her  father,  "God  grant  we  may 
all  be  numbered  among  its  citizens." 

"  'Looking  for  that  blessed  hope  and  the 
glorious  appearing  of  the  great  God  and  our 
Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,'  "  quoted  Mr.  Leland. 
"We  may  well  look  for  it  with  joyful  long 
ing.  May  the  goodness  and  love  of  God  lead 
us  all  to  repentance,  make  us  all  His  devoted, 
faithful  servants." 

"And  He  will  be  the  same  Jesus  who  gave 
His  life  for  us,"  said  Grandma  Elsie,  in  a 
voice  tremulous  with  emotion.  "The  angels 
said  to  those  who  were  gazing  up  after  Him 
as  He  was  taken  up  into  heaven  and  a  cloud 
received  Him  out  of  their  sight,  'Ye  men  of 
Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven  ? 
This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken  up  from  you 
into  heaven  shall  so  come  in  like  manner  as 
ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven.'  " 

"Yes,"  said  Harold,  "and  we  are  told  in 
Thessalonians,  the  Lord  Himself  shall  de 
scend  from  heaven;  in  Revelation,  'Behold, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  65 

He  cometh  with  clouds;  and  every  eye  shall 
see  Him.'  And  Matthew  tells  us,  'The  Son  of 
Man  shall  come  in  His  glory,  and  all  the  holy 
angels  with  Him.' ' 

"And  we  shall  see  Him,  know  Him  and  be 
conformed  to  His  image,"  said  Mrs.  Travilla 
in  joyous  tones.  "  'It  doth  not  yet  appear 
what  we  shall  be :  but  we  know  that,  when  He 
shall  appear,  we  shall  be  like  Him;  for  we 
shall  see  Him  as  He  is.' ' 

"What  a  delightful  thought!"  exclaimed 
her  daughter,  Mrs.  Leland.  "Oh,  it  is  strange 
that  we  can  ever  be  so  taken  up  as  we  are  with 
worldly  matters.  Do  you  think,  captain,  that 
His  second  coming  is  near?" 

"There  are  many  things  which  make  that 
seem  probable,"  replied  Captain  Raymond. 
"Don't  you  think  that  we  should  try  to  live 
as  if  it  might  be  any  day — or  indeed  at  any 
moment  ?" 

"I  certainly  do,"  she  answered ;  "especially 
as  death  may  take  us  into  His  presence  at  any 
moment." 

"Yes,  that  is  true,"  he  answered ;  "and  we 


66  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

should  all  strive  to  live  as  when  death  comes 
we  shall  wish  we  had.  Live  near  to  Him — 
to  His  honor  and  glory — that  whenever  He 
shall  come  we  may  be  found  ready.  He  tells 
us,  'Watch,  therefore,  for  ye  know  not  what 
hour  your  Lord  doth  come.  .  .  .  Be  ye  also 
ready:  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not 
the  Son  of  Man  cometh.'  That  warning  word 
'watch'  is  repeated  again  and  again.  'Watch, 
therefore;  for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor 
the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  Man  cometh.' ' 

"  'Be  ye  also  ready,'  "  repeated  little  Elsie 
reflectively.  "Papa,  please  tell  us  just  how 
to  get  ready — just  what  we  must  do." 

"Give  ourselves  to  the  Lord  Jesus  who 
says,  'Him  that  cometh  unto  me  I  will  in  no 
wise  cast  out.'  'God  so  loved  the  world  that 
He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whoso 
ever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but 
have  everlasting  life.'  'Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved.' ' 

"Doesn't  everybody  believe  that  it's  all  true 
about  Him,  papa?"  asked  !Ned. 

"It  is  not  enough  to  believe  simply  that 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  67 

Jesus  lived  in  this  world  years  ago,  and  died 
the  cruel  death  of  crucifixion;  we  must  be 
lieve  also  that  He  was  God  as  well  as  man ;  for 
otherwise  He  could  not  save  us ;  had  He  been 
only  a  man  His  death  would  not  have  atoned 
for  the  sins  of  the  world — or  of  all  in  it  who 
have  believed  or  will  believe  on  Him.  But  the 
Bible  tells  us  these  things  as  plainly  as  words 
can  speak.  In  the  first  chapter  of  John's 
Gospel  we  are  told,  'In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and  the 
Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  begin 
ning  with  God.  All  things  were  made  by 
Him,  and  without  Him  was  not  anything 
made  that  was  made.'  And  Jesus  Himself 
said,  'I  and  my  father  are  one.' ' 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Leland,  "it  is  incompre 
hensible  to  me  how  any  one  can  profess  to 
believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  Word  of  God  and 
yet  deny  the  divinity  of  Christ — so  plainly 
is  that  taught  in  it  again  and  again." 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  days  glided  by  very  pleasantly  to  the 
little  company  at  Crag  Cottage,  the  greater 
part  of  them  passed  by  the  children  in  the 
open  air,  far  enough  from  the  house  to  make 
them  feel  sure  of  not  disturbing  Evelyn,  even 
if  they  indulged  in  rather  loud  chat  and 
laughter. 

In  the  evening,  if  it  were  not  too  cool,  they 
usually  gathered  upon  the  porch  overlooking 
the  river,  and  were  very  apt  to  be  entertained 
with  a  story  from  either  Grandma  Elsie  or 
Captain  Raymond. 

"I'm  right  glad  to  be  where  I  can  see  this 
grand  old  Hudson  River,"  remarked  Edward 
Leland  one  evening  as  they  sat  there.  "It  is 
a  beautiful  stream,  and  so  much  happened  on 
it  in  early  days." 

"What  in  particular  are  you  thinking 
of  now?"  asked  his  mother. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  69 

"Something  I  read  not  so  very  long  ago  in 
Lossing's  Field  Book  of  the  Revolution.  He 
tells  of  things  that  happened  to  Putnam 
nearly  twenty  years  before  that  war.  He  was 
lying  in  a  bateau  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
above  the  rapids,  when  he  was  suddenly  sur 
prised  by  a  party  of  Indians.  He  couldn't 
cross  the  river  quickly  enough  to  escape  the 
danger  from  their  rifles ;  so  the  only  way  to 
save  himself  from  being  killed  or  taken 
prisoner — which  I  suppose  would  have 
amounted  to  the  same  thing — was  to  go  over 
those  dangerous  rapids.  It  took  Putnam  but 
an  instant  to  decide ;  he  steered  directly  down 
the  current,  between  whirling  eddies  and  over 
shelving  rocks,  cleared  them  all  in  a  few  mo 
ments,  and  was  gliding  along  the  smooth  cur 
rent  below,  far  out  of  the  reach  of  the  In 
dians'  weapons.  They  would  never  have 
dared  to  go  over  those  falls  as  he  did,  so 
thought  he  must  have  been  favored  by  the 
Great  Spirit,  and  that  if  they  should  try  to 
kill  him  with  powder  and  ball,  that  Great 
Spirit  would  consider  it  an  affront  to  him. 


70     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Putnam  was  certainly  a  very  brave 
continued  the  lad;  "Lossing  tells  of  a  brave 
deed  of  his  at  Fort  Edward.  He  says  that  in 
the  winter  of  1756  the  barracks  took  fire,  and 
the  magazine,  which  contained  three  hundred 
barrels  of  gunpowder,  was  only  twelve  feet 
distant  from  the  blaze.  Men  attempted  to 
knock  down  those  barracks  with  heavy  can 
non,  but  failed. 

"Putnam,  who  was  stationed  on  Roger's- 
Island,  in  the  Hudson,  opposite  the  fort,  must 
have  seen  the  fire.  He  hurried  over  there, 
took  his  station  on  the  roof  of  the  barracks, 
and  ordered  a  line  of  soldiers  to  hand  him 
water.  He  did  his  best,  but  could  not  put  the 
fire  out;  it  drew  nearer  and  nearer  to  the 
magazine.  Colonel  Haviland,  seeing  his  dan 
ger,  ordered  him  down,  but  he  was  too  brave 
and  persevering  to  obey  that  order ;  he  worked 
on  and  would  not  leave  his  post  until  the 
building  began  to  totter  as  if  just  ready  to 
fall.  Then  he  jumped  to  the  ground  and  put 
himself  between  it — the  falling  barrack — and 
the  magazine,  and  poured  on  water  with  all 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     71 

his  might.  The  outside  planks  of  the  maga 
zine  were  already  burned  so  that  there  waa 
only  a  thin  partition  between  the  fire  and  the 
powder;  but  he  did  succeed  in  extinguishing 
the  flames  and  saving  the  powder." 

"But  wasn't  he  dreadfully  burned  ?"  asked 
Elsie. 

"Yes,  his  hands  and  face  were/'  replied 
Edward,  "and  his  whole  body  more  or  less 
blistered ;  so  that  it  was  several  weeks  before 
he  recovered  from  the  bad  effects  of  that 
fight." 

"He  must  have  been  a  very  brave  man," 
cried  Ned  Raymond. 

"He  was,"  said  Grandma  Elsie.  "Would 
you  all  like  to  hear  something  more  about  him 
and  his  doings  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  grandma,  if  you  will  be 
pleased  to  tell  it,"  answered  several  young 
voices,  and  at  once  she  began: 

"He  was  a  Massachusetts  man ;  had  a  fine, 
large  farm,  where  he  paid  particular  atten 
tion  to  the  raising  of  fruits  and  of  sheep. 
There  had  been  a  good  many  wild  beasts  in 


73     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

that  region,  but  in  1735  all  seemed  to  have 
been  killed  except  an  old  female  wolf  that 
for  some  seasons  went  on  visiting  the  farm 
yards  and  killing  the  fowls.  Her  lair  was 
near  Putnam's  farm,  and  one  night  she  killed 
sixty  or  seventy  of  his  fine  sheep.  Of  course, 
a  company  was  promptly  raised  to  search 
for  and  kill  her.  They  tracked  her  to  her 
lair  in  a  cave.  It  was  dark  and  narrow,  but 
Putnam  pursued  her  into  it,  shot  her  at  short 
range  and  dragged  her  out  in  triumph. 

"Twenty  years  after  that,  1755,  troops  were 
raised  to  defend  the  country  against  the 
French,  and  Putnam  was  given  the  rank  of 
captain.  He  became  a  leading  member  of 
the  band  of  Rangers  that  did  much  to  annoy 
and  embarrass  the  enemy  during  the  next  two 
years.  In  1757  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  major,  and  after  that  occurred  the  two 
events  Edward  has  just  given  us. 

"In  August,  1758,  he  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Indians,  after  a  sharp  skirmish,  near 
Wood  Creek.  The  Indians  tortured  him,  and 
then  decided  to  burn  him  alive.  They 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     73 

stripped  him,  bound  him  to  a  tree  and  kin 
dled  a  fire  about  him.  The  flames  were  sear 
ing  his  flesh  when  Captain  Molang,  a  French 
officer,  came  rushing  through  the  crowd,  scat 
tered  the  firebrands,  cuffed  and  upbraided  the 
Indians,  and  released  poor  Putnam." 

"Then  did  he  get  away  from  the  Indians  ?" 
asked  Elsie. 

"He  was  taken  to  Montreal  and  soon 
afterward  exchanged,"  replied  her  grandma. 
"Afterward  he  was  promoted  to  a  lieutenant- 
colonelcy  and  given  command  of  a  regi 
ment. 

"The  next  year  he  was  with  General  Am- 
herst  in  his  march  from  Oswego  to  Montreal. 
When  going  down  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
they  found  it  desirable  to  dislodge  the  French 
from  Fort  Oswegatchie;  but  the  approach  to 
it  was  guarded  by  two  schooners,  the  larger 
one  having  twelve  guns,  which  could  have 
done  serious  damage  to  the  English  boats. 
Thinking  of  that  danger,  General  Amherst 
said:  'I  wish  there  were  some  way  of  tak 
ing  that  schooner/  'All  right/  said 


74  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

nam;  'just  give  me  some  wedges  and  a  mal 
let,  and  half  a  dozen  men  of  my  own  choos 
ing,  and  I'll  soon  take  her  for  you.' 

"The  British  general  smiled  incredulous 
ly,  evidently  not  believing  the  thing  could  be 
done ;  but  he  consented  to  Putnam's  making 
the  proposed  attempt,  and  in  the  night  Put 
nam  and  his  little  party  got  into  a  light  boat 
and,  with  muffled  oars,  rode  under  the  schoon 
er's  stern  and  drove  the  wedges  between  the 
rudder  and  the  stern-post  so  firmly  as  to  ren 
der  the  helm  unmangeable.  They  then  went 
around  under  the  bow,  cut  the  vessel's  cable, 
then  rowed  quietly  away.  All  that,  of  course, 
made  the  vessel  unmanageable.  She  drifted 
ashore  before  morning  and  struck  her  colors ; 
then  the  other  French  vessels  surrendered 
and  the  English  captured  the  fort. 

"But  I  shall  not  attempt  to  tell  the  story 
of  the  services  of  Putnam's  whole  life,"  con 
tinued  Grandma  Elsie.  "I  suppose  what  you 
all  care  particularly  to  hear  is  of  what  he 
did  and  suffered  in  and  after  the  Revolu 
tion." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  75 

"Yes,  grandma — yes,  indeed !"  replied  sev 
eral  voices,  and  she  continued  her  story. 

"In  August,  1774,  before  General  Gage 
had  quite  shut  up  the  approaches  to  Boston, 
Putnam  rode  over  the  Neck  with  one  hundred 
sheep  as  a  gift  from  the  parish  of  Brooklyn. 
While  there  he  was  the  guest  of  Dr.  Warren. 
On  the  twentieth  of  the  next  April  came  the 
news  of  the  fight  at  Concord." 

"Ah!  news  didn't  fly  so  fast  then  as  it 
does  now,"  remarked  Eric. 

"No,  not  by  any  means,"  assented  his 
grandma.  "Putnam  was  in  the  field  plough 
ing  when  it  reached  him.  So  great  was 
his  excitement  on  hearing  it  that  he  left  his 
plough  in  the  furrow,  and  without  waiting 
to  put  on  his  uniform,  mounted  a  horse  and 
rode  toward  Cambridge,  reaching  there  at 
sunrise  of  the  next  morning.  Later  in  the 
same  day  he  was  at  Concord ;  but  he  was  soon 
summoned  to  Hartford  to  consult  with  the 
Connecticut  Legislature.  He  returned  from 
there  with  the  chief  command  of  the  forces 
of  that  colony,  and  the  rank  of  brigadier." 


76  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"He  was  one  of  the  officers  at  the  battle  of 
Bunker  Hill,  wasn't  he,  grandma  ?"  asked 
Eric. 

"Yes,  he  is  spoken  of  as  the  ranking  offi 
cer,  and  it  was  he  who  had  the  earthworks 
thrown  up  on  the  crest  of  Bunker  Hill  in  the 
rear,  and  who,  toward  the  close  of  the  day, 
conducted  the  retreat  and  directed  the  forti 
fying  of  Prospect  Hill." 

"And  his  rank  was  soon  made  still  higher 
by  Congress,  was  it  not,  grandma  ?"  asked 
Edward. 

"Yes;  in  June,  1775,  Congress  appointed 
"Washington  to  the  chief  command  and  made 
Ward,  Lee,  Schuyler  and  Putnam  major- 
generals.  Putnam  was  in  command  for  a 
time  in  New  York,  in  Philadelphia  and 
Princeton;  afterward  he  had  charge  of  the 
defence  of  the  highlands  of  the  Hudson  River, 
with  headquarters  at  Peekskill. 

"There  took  place  an  occurrence  that  will 
no  doubt  interest  you  all.  A  man  named 
Edmund  Palmer  was  caught  lurking  in  the 


77 
American  camp  and  condemned  to  death  as  a 

spy- 

"The  British  considered  American  spies 
worthy  of  death,  but  that  those  in  the  king's 
service  were  not ;  so  Sir  Henry  Clinton  sent 
up  a  flag  of  truce  from  New  York  and  a 
threat  to  Putnam  of  signal  vengeance  should 
he  dare  to  injure  the  person  of  the  king's 
liege  subject,  Edmund  Palmer. 

"The  old  general's  reply  was  brief  and  to 
the  point.  I  think  I  can  recall  it  word  for 
word: 

"  'HEADQTJAKTEKS,  7th  of  August,  1777. 

"  'Edmund  Palmer,  an  officer  in  the  ene 
my's  service,  was  taken  as  a  spy  lurking 
within  our  lines.  He  has  been  tried  as  a  spy, 
condemned  as  a  spy,  and  shall  be  executed 
as  a  spy,  and  the  flag  is  ordered  to  depart 
immediately.  ISKAEL  PUTNAM. 

"  'P.  S. — He  has  accordingly  been  exe 
cuted.'  " 

"I  daresay  Sir  Henry  Clinton  was  very 


78  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

angry  when  he  read  that  note?"  remarked 
Eric. 

"Yes/'  said  his  brother,  "but  no  doubt  it 
was  well  for  Putnam  that  Sir  Henry  never 
had  power  to  carry  out  his  threat  of  ven 
geance  upon  him." 

"Is  that  all  of  the  story  about  him,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Ned  Raymond. 

"Yes,"  she  replied,  "except  that  there  is  a 
story  of  a  remarkable  escape  of  his  from 
General  Tryon's  troops  by  riding  down  a 
flight  of  stone  steps  at  Horseneck,  or  West 
Greenwich,  in  the  town  of  Greenwich,  Conn. 
He  was  visiting  his  outposts  there,  staying  at 
the  house  of  General  Mead.  It  was  the  26th 
of  March,  early  in  the  morning,  and  he  was 
standing  before  a  looking-glass  shaving,  when 
he  saw  in  the  glass  the  reflection  of  a  body  of 
red-coats  marching  up  the  road  from  the 
westward.  Though  only  half  shaven,  he 
dropped  his  razor,  buckled  on  his  sword,  and, 
hurrying  out,  mounted  his  horse  and  hastened 
to  prepare  his  handful  of  men  to  oppose  the 
approaching  enemy.  There  were  nearly  fif- 


79 

teen  hundred  of  the  British  regulars  and  Hes 
sians,  under  Governor  Tryoix.  Putnam  had 
with  him  only  one  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
He  arranged  them  upon  the  brow  of  the  hill 
near  a  church  in  the  village.  There  he 
planted  a  battery  composed  of  two  old  iron 
field-pieces,  and  waited  for  the  coming  of  the 
enemy. 

"They  came  up  in  a  solid  column,  until  al 
most  within  musket  shot;  then  detachments 
were  broken  off  and  tried  to  gain  the  Ameri 
cans'  flanks.  At  the  same  time  the  British 
dragoons  and  some  infantry  made  ready  to 
charge.  Perceiving  that  and  noting  the  over 
whelming  numbers  of  the  enemy,  Putnam 
ordered  a  retreat — after  some  volleys  of  mus 
ketry  and  a  few  discharges  of  the  field-pieces. 
But  the  enemy  was  so  near  that  the  retreat 
of  the  Americans  became  a  rout.  The  sol 
diers  broke  and  fled  singly  to  the  adjacent 
swamps,  and  the  general,  putting  spurs  to  his 
horse,  hastened  toward  Stamford,  pursued 
by  several  of  the  dragoons. 

"About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant  from 


80     ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Putnam's  starting  on  that  ride  is  a  steep  de 
clivity;  on  the  brow  of  that  the  road  turned 
northward,  and  passed,  in  a  broad  sweep, 
round  the  hill.  Putnam,  seeing  that  his  pur 
suers  were  gaining  on  him,  took  a  desperate 
resolve,  left  the  road,  and  wheeled  his  horse, 
while  on  a  gallop,  down  the  rocky  height, 
making  a  zigzag  course  to  the  bottom,  and 
reaching  the  road  again  in  safety." 

"And  did  the  dragoons  follow  him,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"No,"  she  said;  "it  was  too  perilous  for 
them.  They  did  not  dare  attempt  it.  They 
fired  their  pistols  at  Putnam,  but  did  not 
succeed  in  wounding  him.  He  rode  on  in 
safety  to  Stamford." 

"Was  Putnam  good  to  his  soldiers,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"I  think  he  was,"  Mrs.  Travilla  answered ; 
"he  felt  for  them  in  their  sore  privations  and 
tried  to  get  them  help.  Lossing  tells  us 
that  in  a  letter  to  Washington,  January, 
1778,  he  gives  a  picture  of  the  terrible  suf 
fering  his  soldiers  in  the  highlands  were  en^ 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  81 

during.  He  said:  'Very  few  have  either  a 
shoe  or  a  shirt,  and  most  of  them  have  neither 
stockings,  breeches,  nor  overalls.  Several 
companies  of  enlisted  artificers  are  in  the 
same  situation,  and  unable  to  work  in  the 
field.'  Lossing  tells  us  of  something  similar 
that  occurred  at  Reading,  in  Connecticut,  the 
next  year — in  1779.  The  troops,  poor  fel 
lows,  were  badly  fed  and  clothed  and  worse 
paid,  for  their  small  pittance  when  it  came 
was  in  the  form  of  Continental  money,  which 
was  depreciating  rapidly.  Brooding  over 
their  hard  lot,  and  talking  the  matter  over 
among  themselves,  they  resolved  to  march  to 
Hartford  and  demand  of  the  assembly  there 
a  redress  of  their  grievances.  The  second 
brigade  had  assembled  under  arms  with  that 
intention,  when  Putnam  learned  what  was 
going  on.  He  at  once  galloped  to  the  encamp 
ment,  and  earnestly  addressed  them: 

"  'My  brave  lads,  where  are  you  going  V 
he  asked.  'Do  you  intend  to  desert  your  offi 
cers,  and  to  invite  the  enemy  to  follow  you 
into  the  country?  Whose  cause  have  you 


82 

been  fighting  and  suffering  so  long  for  ?  Is  it 
not  your  own  ?  Have  you  no  property,  no 
parents,  wives,  or  children  ?  You  have  be 
haved  like  men  so  far ;  all  the  world  is  full  of 
your  praise,  and  posterity  will  stand  aston 
ished  at  your  deeds,  but  not  if  you  spoil  all 
at  last.  Don't  you  consider  how  much  the 
country  is  distressed  by  the  war,  and  that 
your  officers  have  not  been  better  paid  than 
yourselves  ?  But  we  all  expect  better  times 
and  that  the  country  will  do  us  ample  justice. 
Let  us  all  stand  by  one  another,  then,  and 
fight  it  out  like  brave  soldiers.  Think  what 
a  shame  it  would  be  for  Connecticut  men  to 
run  away  from  their  officers.'  That  was  Put 
nam's  little  speech,  and  when  he  had  finished 
the  discontented  regiments  cheered  him 
loudly,  then  returned  to  their  quarters  in  good 
humor,  resolved  still  to  suffer  and  fight  for 
the  cause  of  their  country." 

"Poor  fellows !"  sighed  Elsie. 

"Did  Putnam  live  till  the  Revolutionary 
War  was  over,  grandma  ?"  asked  Eric. 

"Yes,"  she  replied;  "he  died  on  the  29th 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  S3 

of  May,  1790,  aged  seventy-two  years.  There 
is  an  inscription  on  the  marble  slab  over  his 
grave  which  says  that  he  was  ever  tenderly 
attentive  to  the  lives  and  happiness  of  his 
men  and  that  he  dared  to  lead  where  any 
dared  to  follow.  It  speaks  of  how  much  the 
country  owes  to  his  disinterested  and  gallant 
exertions.  It  speaks  of  his  generosity  as  sin 
gular,  his  honesty  as  proverbial,  and  says  that 
he  was  one  who,  with  small  advantages,  slen 
der  education,  and  no  powerful  friends, 
raised  himself  to  universal  esteem,  and  to 
offices  of  eminent  distinction  by  personal 
worth  and  the  diligent  services  of  a  useful 
life." 


CHAPTEK  VIII 

"THANK  you  for  telling  us  about  Putnam, 
grandma,"  said  Elsie.  "I  think  he  was  an 
American  to  be  proud  of.  Now  if  you  are 
not  too  tired,  won't  you  tell  us  the  story  of 
Jane  McCrea  ?  I  know  a  little  of  it,  and 
would  like  to  know  more." 

"I  am  very  willing  to  tell  you  the  little  I 
know  about  her,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla,  in 
her  kindly,  pleasant  tones.  "She  was  the 
daughter  of  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  minister, 
of  Jersey  City,  opposite  New  York.  In  that 
city — New  York — lived  a  family  of  the  name 
of  Campbell.  A  daughter  of  theirs  and  Jen 
nie  had  become  very  intimate.  Mr.  Camp 
bell  died  at  sea  and  his  widow  married  a  Mr. 
McNeil.  He,  too,  was  lost  at  sea,  and  she 
removed  with  her  family  to  an  estate  owned 
by  him  at  Fort  Edward.  Jane  had  a  brother 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  85 

living  near  there.  Mr.  McCrea,  the  father, 
was  a  widower,  and  when  he  died  she  went  to 
live  with  her  brother,  and,  being  so  near  the 
McNeils,  the  intimacy  was  renewed  and  she 
spent  much  of  her  time  in  Mrs.  McNeil's 
house.  Mrs.  Jones,  a  widow  with  six  sons, 
lived  near  the  McCreas,  and  one  of  them, 
named  David,  became  Jennie's  lover.  When 
the  war  broke  out  he  and  his  brothers  became 
Tories,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1776  David  and 
his  brother,  Jonathan,  went  to  Canada,  and 
when  Burgoyne  collected  his  forces  at  St. 
Johns,  at  the  foot  of  Lake  Champlain,  David 
and  Jonathan  Jones  were  among  them. 
Jonathan  was  made  captain  and  David  a  lieu 
tenant  in  the  division  under  General  Fraser, 
and  at  the  time  we  are  speaking  of  they  were 
with  the  British  army  near  Sandy  Hill. 
Jennie's  brother  was  a  Whig,  and  prepared  to 
remove  to  Albany;  but  Mrs.  McNeil  was  a 
staunch  Loyalist,  a  cousin  of  General  Fraser, 
and  intended  to  remain  at  Fort  Edward. 
Jennie  was  at  Mrs.  McNeil's,  and  lingered 
there  even  after  it  was  known  that  the  British 


86  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

were  near,  and  her  brother  had  sent  her  re 
peatedly  urgent  requests  to  join  him  where 
he  was — five  miles  farther  down  the  river, 
and  be  ready  to  flee  when  necessity  should 
compel.  But  she  lingered,  probably  with  the 
faint  hope  of  seeing  her  lover  again.  At  last 
her  brother  sent  a  peremptory  order  for  her 
to  join  him,  and  she  promised  to  go  down  to' 
the  spot  where  he  was  in  a  large  bateau,  which 
was  expected  to  leave  with  several  families 
the  next  day. 

"But  Jennie  had  waited  too  long.  Early 
the  next  morning  a  black  servant  boy  belong 
ing  to  Mrs.  McNeil  espied  some  Indians 
stealthily  approaching  the  house,  and,  giving 
the  alarm,  he  fled  to  the  fort,  about  eight  rods 
distant. 

"Jennie's  young  friend,  Mrs.  McNeil's 
daughter,  was  away  from  home  at  the  time, 
and  the  family  there  just  then  consisted  of 
only  Mrs.  McNeil,  Jennie,  two  small  children 
and  a  black  female  servant. 

"The  kitchen  stood  a  few  feet  from  the 
house,  and  when  the  alarm  was  given  the  col- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  87 

ored  woman  snatched  up  the  children,  fled 
with  them  to  the  kitchen,  and  from  there, 
through  a  trap-door,  into  the  cellar. 

"Mrs.  McNeil  and  Jennie  followed.  Jen 
nie,  young  and  able  to  move  briskly,  reached 
the  trap-door  first;  but  Mrs.  McNeil,  being 
old  and  corpulent,  could  not  move  rapidly, 
and  before  she  could  get  down  into  the  cellar 
the  Indians  were  in  the  house,  and  a  powerful 
savage  seized  her  by  the  hair  and  dragged  her 
up.  Another  went  into  the  cellar  and  brought 
out  Jennie,  but  the  darkness  of  the  cellar 
favored  the  colored  woman  and  the  children. 
It  would  seem  the  Indians  did  not  see  them, 
so  left  them  in  their  hiding  place  un 
harmed. 

"The  Indians  started  off  on  the  road  to 
Sandy  Hill,  taking  Mrs.  McNeil  and  Jennie 
with  them;  that  was  the  road  to  Burgoyne's 
camp. 

"When  they  came  to  the  foot  of  a  hill, 
where  the  road  forked,  they  caught  two  horses 
that  were  grazing,  and  tried  to  mount  their 
prisoners  upon  them.  Mrs.  McNeil  was  too 


88 

heavy  to  be  lifted  on  the  horse  easily,  so  told 
the  Indians  by  signs  that  she  could  not  ride. 
Then  two  stout  ones  of  them  took  her  by  the 
arms  and  hurried  her  up  the  road  over  the 
hill,  while  the  others,  with  Jennie  on  the 
horse,  went  along  the  road  running  west  of 
a  tree. 

"The  negro  boy  who  ran  to  the  fort  gave  the 
alarm,  and  a  small  detachment  was  imme 
diately  sent  out  for  the  rescue  of  the  captured 
ones.  They  fired  several  volleys  at  the  In 
dians  without  hitting  them.  Lossing,  whose 
version  of  the  sad  story  I  am  giving  you,  goes 
on  to  tell  that  Mrs.  McNeil  said  that  the  In 
dians  who  were  hurrying  her  up  the  hill 
seemed  to  watch  the  flash  of  the  guns,  and 
several  times  threw  her  upon  her  face,  at  the 
same  time  falling  down  themselves,  and  she 
distinctly  heard  the  balls  whistle  above  them. 
The  firing  ceased  when  they  had  got  to  the 
second  hill  from  the  village.  They  stopped 
there  and  stripped  her  of  all  her  garments 
except  her  chemise ;  then  they  led  her,  in  that 
plight,  into  the  British  camp.  Her  cousin, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES     89 

General  Eraser,  was  there,  and  she  re 
proached  him  bitterly  for  sending  his  'scoun 
drel  Indians'  after  her.  He  said  he  did  not 
know  of  her  being  away  from  New  York  City, 
and  he  took  every  pains  to  make  her  com 
fortable.  She  was  so  large  that  not  a  woman. 
in  the  camp  had  a  gown  big  enough  for  her, 
so  Fraser  lent  her  his  camp  coat  for  a  gar 
ment,  and  a  pocket  handkerchief  to  take  the 
place  of  her  stolen  cap. 

"Very  soon  after  she  was  taken  into  the 
camp,  two  parties  of  Indians  came  in  with 
fresh  scalps,  one  of  which  Mrs.  McNeil  at 
once  recognized  by  the  long  glossy  hair  as 
that  of  Jennie  McCrea.  She  was  horror 
struck  and  boldly  charged  them  with  the  mur 
der  of  the  poor  girl.  They,  however,  stoutly 
denied  it.  They  said  that  while  hurrying  her 
along  the  road,  on  horseback,  near  the  spring 
west  of  the  pine-tree,  a  bullet  intended  for 
them  from  one  of  the  American  guns  mortally 
wounded  the  poor  girl,  and  she  fell  from  the 
horse.  They  had  lost  a  prisoner  for  whom 
they  had  expected  a  reward,  and  the  next  best 


tJO  ELSIE  AND  BEE  LOVED  ONES 

thing  was  to  take  her  scalp  and  bear  it  in 
triumph  to  the  camp  and  get  the  promised 
reward  for  such  trophies. 

"Mrs.  McISTeil  always  believed  their  storv 
to  be  true,  as  she  knew  they  had  been  fired 
upon  by  the  detachment  from  the  fort,  and 
that  it  was  far  more  to  their  interest  to  take  a 
prisoner  to  the  British  camp  than  a  scalp,  as 
they  would  get  the  larger  price  for  the  former. 
Burgoyne  had  told  the  Indians  they  should 
be  paid  for  prisoners  whom  they  took,  but 
called  to  account  for  scalps." 

"So  it  seems  Burgoyne  wasn't  all  bad," 
commented  Eric.  "And  I  think  it  must  have 
been  a  good  deal  more  trouble  to  get  that 
big  fat  old  woman  into  the  camp  alive  than 
it  would  have  been  to  get  the  young  girl  there 
without  killing  her." 

"Was  her  lover  there  in  that  camp,  grand 
ma?"  asked  Elsie. 

"No ;  Lieutenant  Jones  was  not  there,  but 
it  was  known  that  she  was  betrothed  to  him, 
and  the  story  got  about  that  he  had  sent  the 
Indians  for  her,  that  they  quarrelled  on  the 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  91 

way  concerning  the  reward  he  had  offered, 
and  murdered  her  to  settle  the  dispute. 

"The  story  grew  in  horror  as  it  passed  from 
one  to  another,  and  produced  a  deep  and  wide 
spread  indignation,  increased  by  a  published 
letter  from  Gates  to  Burgoyne  charging  him 
with  allowing  the  Indians  to  butcher  with 
impunity  defenceless  women  and  children. 

"Burgoyne  denied  it,  declaring  that  the 
case  of  Jane  McCrea  was  the  only  one  act  of 
Indian  cruelty  he  had  heard  of.  That  asser 
tion  is  hard  to  believe,  for  the  savages  mur 
dered  a  whole  family — a  man,  his  wife,  three 
children,  a  sister-in-law  and  three  negroes, 
near  Fort  Edward  on  the  same  day  that  Jen 
nie  lost  her  life.  And  they  were  Tories ;  but, 
afraid  of  the  savages,  were  getting  ready  to 
flee  to  Albany.  On  that  fatal  morning  a 
younger  daughter  of  Mr.  Gilmer  went  to  help 
Mrs.  Allen  with  her  preparations  to  move, 
and,  staying  longer  than  had  been  expected, 
her  father  sent  a  negro  boy  down  for  her. 
He  soon  came  back  screaming,  'They  are  all 
dead — father,  mother,  young  missus  and  all.' 


92  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

And  it  was  too  true.  That  morning,  while 
they  were  at  breakfast,  the  Indians  had  burst 
in  upon  them  and  killed  every  one." 

"And  what  did  the  Gilmers  do  about  it, 
grandma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"Hurried  away  to  Fort  Edward,  going 
very  cautiously  for  fear  of  meeting  Indians. 
And  they  did  see  some  of  the  party  who  had 
plundered  Mrs.  McNeil's  house  in  the  morn 
ing.  They  had  emptied  the  straw  from  the 
beds  and  filled  the  ticks  with  various  things 
which  they  had  stolen.  And  Mrs.  McNeil's 
daughter,  who  was  with  the  Gilmers,  saw  her 
mother's  looking-glass  tied  upon  the  back  of 
one  of  the  Indians." 

"And  did  those  folks  get  safely  to  Fort 
Edward,  grandma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"They  did,"  replied  Mrs.  Travilla,  then 
went  on  with  her  story.  "The  story  of  Jennie 
McCrea's  massacre  became  known  all  over 
the  civilized  part  of  this  land  and  in  Europe. 
Burk,  says  Lossing,  used  it  with  powerful 
effect  in  the  British  House  of  Commons. 
Burgoyne  summoned  the  Indians  to  council, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  93 

and  demanded  the  surrender  of  the  one  who 
bore  off  the  scalp  of  Jennie  McCrea,  to  be 
punished  as  a  murderer;  but  from  policy  he 
pardoned  him,  lest  the  Indians  should  be  so 
offended  if  he  punished  him  that  they  would 
cease  to  help  the  British  in  their  efforts  to 
conquer  the  Americans. 

"It  had  been  said  that  Lieutenant  Jones 
had  sent  his  Jennie  a  letter  by  the  Indians, 
and  them  as  an  escort  to  take  her  to  the 
British  camp.  But  he  denied  it  all,  and  in 
deed  he  had  no  need  to  send  for  her,  as  the 
Americans  were  retreating,  leaving  only  a 
small  guard  at  Fort  Edward,  and  in  a  day  or 
two  the  British  would  have  full  possession  of 
the  fort,  so  that  he  and  his  Jennie  might  have 
had  a  safe  personal  interview." 

"Is  there  anything  more  known  about 
Lieutenant  Jones,  grandma  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Lossing  tells  us  that  he  had  an  interview 
with  some  connections  of  his  family,  and 
learned  from  them  that  he  lived  in  Canada, 
to  be  an  old  man,  and  died  there.  The  death 
of  his  Jennie  was  a  dreadful  blow  to  him, 


94 

and  he  never  recovered  from  it.  He  had  been 
gay  and  very  talkative  when  quite  young,  but 
after  that  sad  event  he  was  melancholy  and 
taciturn.  He  never  married,  and  went  into 
society  as  little  as  he  could  without  neglect 
ing  business.  Every  year  he  kept  the  anni 
versary  of  Jennie's  death — he  would  shut 
himself  in  his  room  and  refuse  to  see  any 
one.  His  friends  felt  for  him  and  were  care 
ful  not  to  speak  of  the  Revolution  in  his 
presence.  He  bought  Jennie's  scalp  and  kept 
it  as  a  cherished  possession." 

"Grandma,  was  Jennie  buried?  And  if 
so,  is  it  known  where  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Yes;  Lossing  tells  that  a  picket-guard  of 
one  hundred  men,  under  Lieutenant  Van 
Vechten,  was  stationed  on  the  hill  a  little 
north  of  the  pine-tree  on  that  day  that  we 
have  been  talking  about,  and  at  the  moment 
when  the  house  of  Mrs.  McNeil  was  attacked 
and  plundered,  and  she  and  Jennie  were  car 
ried  off,  other  parties  of  Indians,  belonging 
to  the  same  expedition,  came  rushing  through 


EL8IE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES  95 

the  woods  from  different  points  and  fell  upon 
the  Americans.  Several  were  killed  and  their 
scalps  borne  off.  The  party  that  went  out 
from  the  fort  in  pursuit  found  their  bodies. 
Jennie  and  the  officer  were  found  lying  near 
together,  close  by  the  spring,  and  only  a  few 
feet  from  the  pine-tree.  They  were  stripped 
of  clothing.  They  were  carried  immediately 
to  the  fort — the  Americans  at  once  evacuated 
it — and  the  body  of  Jennie  was  sent  down  the 
river  in  the  bateau  in  which  she  was  to  have 
gone  to  her  brother.  It  seems  that  he  was 
very  fond  of  her,  and  took  charge  of  her 
mutilated  corpse  with  the  deepest  grief.  It 
was  buried  at  the  same  time  and  place  with 
that  of  the  lieutenant,  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Hudson,  near  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek 
about  three  miles  below  Fort  Edward." 

"Did  the  Indians  kill  Mrs.  McNeil,  grand 
ma  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"No ;  she  lived  a  good  many  years,  and  her 
grave  can  be  seen  in  the  village  cemetery  near 
the  ruins  of  the  fort.  Lossing  says  that  in 


96 

the  summer  of  1826  the  remains  of  Jennie 
were  taken  up  and  put  in  the  same  grave  with 
her.  A  plain  white  marble  slab,  with  only 
the  name  Jane  McCrea  on  it,  marts  the 
spot." 


CHAPTEK  IX 

THE  children's  bedtime  had  come  and  they 
had  gone  to  their  sleeping  quarters  for  the 
night.  Grandma  Elsie  was  holding  the  new 
baby  while  having  a  bit  of  chat  with  its 
mother ;  most  of  the  other  grown  people  were 
enjoying  themselves  together  in  the  parlor, 
but  Lucilla  and  her  father  were  pacing  the 
front  porch,  as  they  so  often  did,  while  Mam 
ma  Vi  put  the  younger  ones  to  bed. 

"Have  you  had  a  pleasant  time  to-day, 
daughter  ?"  asked  the  captain. 

"Oh,  yes,  sir,"  she  replied.  "I  paid  Eva 
a  visit  and  enjoyed  holding  and  looking  at 
the  darling  little  newcomer — Baby  Mary.  I 
like  the  name ;  don't  you,  father  ?" 

"Yes,  both  the  name  and  the  one  who  bears 
it.  What  else  have  you  been  doing  ?" 

"Sitting  out  here  with  a  bit  of  needlework 
while  Grandma  Elsie  gave  us  some  interest- 


98 

ing  passages  from  the  history  of  our  country 
in  Revolutionary  days — of  Putnam  and  his 
services,  and  the  sad  story  of  poor  Jane 
McCrea.  I  have  been  thinking,  father,  that 
you  could  give  us  interesting  facts  concerning 
other  actors  in  the  thrilling  scenes  and  ex 
periences  of  those  dark  days  for  our  country." 

"Perhaps  so,"  he  answered,  "though  I 
doubt  if  I  should  equal  mother  as  a  narrator." 

"A  doubt  I  don't  in  the  least  share,  father," 
laughed  Lucilla.  "You  always  speak  the 
truth,  but  are  a  good  story  teller  for  all  that." 

"That  is  in  the  judgment  of  my  very  par 
tial  daughter,"  the  captain  responded,  with 
an  amused  look  and  smile.  "There  are  other 
Revolutionary  heroes,"  he  continued,  "the 
facts  concerning  whom  would  make  very  in 
teresting  tales — Morgan  and  Schuyler,  for 
instance." 

"And  you  will  tell  them  to  us,  father  ?  Oh, 
that  will  be  fine." 

"And  I  shall  be  glad  indeed  if  I  can  add 
to  the  information  and  enjoyment  of  my  own 
young  people  and  the  others,"  he  returned. 


99 

"Evelyn  has  quite  a  library  here,  collected 
by  her  father,  in  which  are  a  number  of  en 
cyclopaedias  and  historical  works — those  of 
Lossing  and  others.  I  shall  refresh  my  mem 
ory  in  regard  to  Morgan  and  Schuyler,  and 
perhaps  tell  you  something  of  one  or  both 
to-morrow  evening,  should  mother  feel  indis 
posed  for  such  work." 

It  was  settled  at  the  tea  table  the  next  day 
that  the  captain  was  to  be  the  narrator  for 
the  little  company  for  that  evening,  Grandma 
Elsie  saying  she  would  greatly  prefer  being 
a  listener.  All  gathered  about  him  on  the 
front  porch  directly  upon  leaving  the  table, 
and  he  began  the  story  at  once. 

"Daniel  Morgan  was  born  in  New  Jersey 
about  1737.  There  is  little  or  nothing  known 
of  his  parents  except  that  he  had  a  pious 
mother  and  that  he  was  of  Welsh  extraction. 
When  about  seventeen  years  old  he  went  to 
Virginia,  where  he  worked  as  a  farmer  for 
some  years.  Early  in  1754  he  removed  to 
Charlestown,  Va.,  and  the  next  year  he 
began  his  military  career,  going  with  Brad- 


100          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

dock's  army  in  the  expedition  against  Fort 
du  Quesne. 

"He  seems  to  have  been  a  teamster,  and  in 
the  rout  did  good  service  in  bringing  away 
the  wounded  after  the  defeat.  Washington, 
you  will  remember,  was  there  as  aid-de-camp 
to  Braddock,  and  doubtless  he  and  Morgan 
became  acquainted  then. 

"It  is  said  that  Morgan  was  unjustly  pun 
ished  with  five  hundred  lashes  for  knocking 
down  a  British  officer  who  struck  him  with 
the  flat  of  his  sword. 

"Afterward  he  was  attached  to  the  quar 
termaster's  department,  and  his  duty  was  to 
haul  supplies  to  the  military  posts  along  the 
frontier. 

"About  that  time,  at  the  head  of  a  few 
backwoodsmen,  he  defeated  a  small  force  of 
Frenchmen  and  Indians,  and  received  from 
Governor  Dinwiddie  an  ensign's  commission. 

"Afterward,  while  on  his  way  to  Winches 
ter  with  despatches,  he  and  others  engaged  in 
a  fierce  woodland  fight  with  the  Indians,  in 
which  nearly  all  Morgan's  companions  were 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         101 

killed  and  he  was  severely  wounded,  being 
shot  through  the  neck  with  a  musket  ball.  At 
the  moment  he  supposed  the  wound  to  be 
fatal — he  was  almost  fainting — but  resolved 
not  to  leave  his  scalp  in  the  hands  of  the  In 
dians.  He  fell  forward  with  his  arms  tightly 
clasped  about  the  neck  of  his  horse,  and 
though  mists  were  gathering  before  his  eyes, 
he  spurred  away  through  the  forest  paths, 
until  his  foremost  Indian  pursuer,  finding  it 
impossible  to  come  up  with  him,  hurled  his 
tomahawk  after  him  with  a  yell  of  baffled  rage 
and  gave  up  the  chase.  That  was  the  only- 
wound  he  ever  received." 

"And  it  didn't  hinder  him  from  doing 
great  service  to  his  country  in  the  Revolution 
ary  War,"  remarked  Eric  Leland. 

"Some  few  years  later,"  continued  the 
captain,  "Morgan  obtained  a  grant  of  land, 
took  to  farming  and  stock-raising,  and  mar 
ried  a  farmer's  daughter,  Abigail  Bailey,  who 
is  said  to  have  been  a  woman  of  rare  beauty 
and  lofty  character.  He  named  his  home  the 
'Soldier's  Rest,'  but  was  soon  called  away 


102          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

from  it  by  Pontiac's  war.  In  that  he  served 
as  a  lieutenant.  He  prospered  with  his  farm 
ing  and  acquired  considerable  property.  But 
the  calls  to  war  were  frequent.  In  1771  he 
was  commissioned  captain  of  the  militia  of 
Frederick  County,  and  two  years  later  he 
served  in  Lord  Dunmore's  war  on  the  fron 
tier." 


CHAPTEK  X 

"!N  June,  1775,  Congress  called  for  ten 
companies  of  riflemen  from  Pennsylvania, 
Virginia  and  Maryland  to  join  the  Contin 
ental  army  besieging  Boston,"  continued  the 
captain.  "Morgan  was  chosen  captain  of  one 
of  the  Virginia  companies,  consisting  of 
ninety-six  men,  and  with  it  he  reached  Cam 
bridge  about  the  middle  of  July. 

"A  month  later  eleven  hundred  hardy  men 
were  detached  from  the  army  for  the  service 
of  Arnold  in  his  expedition  against  Canada, 
and  its  riflemen  were  commanded  by  Captain 
Daniel  Morgan.  We  will  not  now  go  over  the 
story  of  that  toilsome,  perilous  and  unfortu 
nate  expedition.  The  journey  through  the 
wilderness  was  a  terrible  one ;  but  our  brave 
men  persevered  and  reached  Canada.  Mor 
gan  and  his  men  were  the  first  to  cross  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  reconnoitre  the  approaches  to 


104          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Quebec,  which  was  too  strongly  defended  to 
be  attacked  with  any  hope  of  success.  But  a 
great  attack  was  made  on  New  Year's  morn 
ing,  1776,  in  which  Montgomery  was  killed 
and  Arnold  disabled.  Morgan  stormed  the 
battery  opposed  to  him,  but  not  being  sup 
ported,  he  and  his  detachment  were  sur 
rounded  and  taken  prisoners.  But  General 
Carleton,  admiring  Morgan  for  his  bravery, 
released  him  on  parole  and  he  went  home  to 
Virginia. 

"Washington  earnestly  recommended  him 
to  Congress  as  worthy  of  promotion,  and  in 
November  they  gave  him  a  colonel's  commis 
sion.  He  was  duly  exchanged  and  released 
from  parole.  He  raised  a  regiment  of  rifle 
men  and  joined  the  army  at  Morristown, 
New  Jersey,  late  in  March. 

"Morgan's  services  in  reconnoitring  were 
very  great  in  the  skilful  campaign  of  the  fol 
lowing  June,  in  which  Washington  prevented 
Howe  from  crossing  New  Jersey. 

"In  the  following  July  Burgoyne's  descent 
into  northern  New  York  made  it  desirable  to 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          105 

concentrate  as  large  a  body  of  troops  there  as 
possible  to  oppose  him,  and  on  the  16th  of 
August  Morgan  was  sent  with  his  regiment 
to  join  the  army  near  Still  water,  of  which 
Gates  had  lately  taken  command.  His  force 
was  five  hundred  picked  riflemen,  of  whom 
Washington  said  that  he  expected  the  most 
eminent  service  from  them ;  nor  was  he  disap 
pointed.  And  it  is  said  that  when  Burgoyne 
was  introduced  to  Morgan  after  the  battle  of 
Saratoga,  he  seized  him  by  the  hand  and  ex 
claimed  :  'My  dear  sir,  you  command  the  fin 
est  regiment  in  the  world !'  It  was  no  wonder 
that  Burgoyne  thought  highly  of  their  skill ; 
for  Morgan  and  his  men  had  played  a  princi 
pal  part  in  the  bloody  battle  of  Freeman's 
farm,  in  which  Arnold  frustrated  Burgoyne's 
attempt  to  dislodge  the  American  left  wing 
from  Bemis  Heights,  and  their  services  were 
quite  as  great  in  the  final  conflict  of  October 
Tth,  in  which  the  British  army  was  wrecked." 
"Wasn't  it  in  the  battle  of  Bemis  Heights 
that  General  Fraser  was  killed,  papa  ?"  asked 
Elsie. 


106          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

"Yes,"  replied  her  father.  "Morgan's  men 
were  skilful  riflemen  and  one  of  them  shot 
Eraser.  Morgan,  seeing  that  by  directing 
and  cheering  on  the  British  troops  Fraser  was 
doing  more  than  any  one  else  to  defeat  and 
slay  the  Americans,  perceived  that  much  of 
the  fate  of  the  battle  rested  upon  him,  and 
that  to  bring  victory  to  the  Americans,  who 
were  fighting  for  freedom,  it  was  necessary 
that  Fraser  should  be  taken  away.  So,  call 
ing  a  file  of  his  best  men  around  him,  he 
pointed  toward  the  British  right  and  said: 
'That  gallant  officer  is  General  Fraser.  I 
admire  and  honor  him,  but  it  is  necessary  that 
he  should  die ;  victory  for  the  enemy  depends 
upon  him.  Take  your  station  in  that  clump 
of  bushes  and  do  your  duty.' 

"Lossing  says,  'Within  five  minutes  Fraser 
fell  mortally  wounded,  and  was  carried  to  the 
camp  by  two  grenadiers.  Shortly  before  that 
two  rifle  balls  had  struck  very  near  him,  one 
cutting  the  crupper  of  his  horse,  and  the  other 
passing  through  his  mane,  a  little  back  of  his 
ears.  Seeing  all  that,  Fraser's  aid  begged 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         107 

him  to  retire  from  that  place.  But  Eraser 
replied,  'My  duty  forbids  me  to  fly  from  dan 
ger/  and  the  next  moment  came  the  shot  that 
killed  him." 

"Oh,  papa,  it  was  a  sad,  sad  thing  to  do ;  a 
sad  thing  to  order!"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "I 
don't  see  how  Morgan  could  do  it." 

"It  was  a  sad  thing.  War  is  always  dread 
ful  and  a  great  and  fearful  wrong — often  on 
both  sides,  sometimes  right  on  one,  as  I  think 
it  was  in  our  War  of  the  Revolution;  very 
wicked  on  the  side  of  King  George  and  his 
ministers,  right  and  praiseworthy  on  the 
part  of  the  Americans  who  were  fighting  for 
freedom  for  themselves  and  their  posterity. 
I  cannot  see  why  it  should  be  thought  any 
more  sinful  to  kill  Eraser  than  any  one  of  the 
privates  under  him  and  whom  he  was  order 
ing  to  shoot  our  men ;  and  no  doubt  his  death 
at  that  time  saved  many — probably  hundreds 
of  the  lives  of  Americans  who  were  fighting 
for  life,  liberty,  home,  wives  and  children. 

"And  the  mortal  wounding  of  Eraser  had 
a  good  effect — a  panic  spread  along  the  Brit- 


108          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

ish  line.  Burgoyne,  who  now  took  the  com 
mand,  could  not  keep  up  the  sinking  courage 
of  his  men.  The  whole  line  gave  way  and 
fled  hastily  to  their  camp. 

"But  I  shall  not  go  farther  into  the  ac 
count  of  that  battle  at  present;  in  the  one 
which  followed  on  the  7th  of  October,  and  in 
which  the  British  army  was  wrecked,  Mor 
gan's  services  were  equally  great  and  impor 
tant. 

"After  the  victory  Gates  was  unwilling  to 
send  Morgan  and  his  regiment  back  to  Wash 
ington  at  Whitemarsh,  and  it  was  only  with 
some  difficulty  and  by  sending  Colonel  Ham 
ilton  with  a  special  message  that  the  sorely 
tried  commander-in-chief  succeeded  in  obtain 
ing  him. 

"Washington  was  at  WTiitemarsh,  near 
Philadelphia,  and  on  the  18th  of  November, 
1777,  Morgan  joined  him  there;  in  time  to 
take  part  in  the  fight  early  in  December  of 
that  year. 

"On  Sunday,  the  8th,  they  advanced,  and 
flanking  parties  were  warmly  attacked  by 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         109 

Colonel  Morgan  and  his  rifle  corps,  and 
Colonel  Gist,  with  the  Maryland  militia. 
The  battle  was  quite  severe.  Twenty-seven 
men  in  Morgan's  corps  were  killed  and 
wounded,  beside  Major  Morris,  a  brave  and 
gallant  officer,  who  was  badly  maimed.  Six 
teen  or  seventeen  of  the  Maryland  militia 
were  wounded. 

"The  enemy's  loss,  too,  was  considerable. 
The  movements  of  the  British  seemed  to  in 
dicate  an  intention  to  immediately  attack  the 
Americans,  so  that  Washington  was  presently 
surprised  to  perceive  that  instead  of  advanc 
ing  they  were  marching  precipitately,  in  two 
divisions,  toward  Philadelphia.  As  their 
adjutant  remarked  to  Mrs.  Lydia  Darrah, 
whose  story  you  have  all  heard  before,  they 
had  been  on  a  fool's  errand  and  accomplished 
nothing. 

"On  the  25th  of  August,  1777,  Washing 
ton,  with  several  divisions  of  his  troops,  Mor 
gan  and  his  rifle  corps  among  them,  left 
Philadelphia  and  encamped  at  Red  Clay 
Creek,  a  few  miles  below  Wilmington,  the 


110         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

next  day.  Washington  established  his  head 
quarters  at  Wilmington,  and  at  once  made 
preparations  to  oppose  the  march  of  the 
enemy,  scouts  having  brought  him  news  of 
their  arrival  at  the  head  of  Elk. 

"In  September,  Washington  broke  up  his 
camp  and  crossed  the  Brandywine  at  Chadd's 
Ford,  at  about  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
the  9th.  The  llth  of  September  was  the  day 
of  the  battle  of  Brandywine." 

"Which  was  a  defeat  for  us,  wasn't  it, 
uncle?"  asked  Eric. 

"Yes,  though  our  troops  fought  very  brave 
ly,"  replied  Captain  Raymond.  "There  were 
but  eleven  thousand  of  them  and  the  British 
force  was  probably  not  less  than  seventeen 
thousand  men.  Lossing  tells  us  that  had 
not  conflicting  intelligence  perplexed  and 
thwarted  him  in  his  plans,  it  is  probable  that 
victory  would  have  attended  Washington  and 
the  American  army.  He  was  not  dispir 
ited. 

"But  to  go  back  to  Morgan.  When  in  June, 
1778,  Sir  Henry  Clinton  evacuated  Philadel- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         111 

phia  and  set  out  for  New  York  bj  way  of 
!N"ew  Jersey,  the  news  presently  reached 
Washington,  and  he  at  once  broke  up  his 
encampment  at  Valley  Forge,  and  with  al 
most  his  whole  army  started  in  pursuit. 

"Morgan  was  in  that  army  with  six  hun 
dred  men.  This  was  on  June  20.  I  will  not 
go  over  the  whole  story.  The  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth  was  not  fought  until  the  next  Sunday, 
which  was  the  28th,  and  an  exceedingly  hot 
day.  I  shall  not  go  into  the  particulars  in 
regard  to  it  just  now,  but  only  remark  that 
Morgan  was  most  unaccountably  kept  out  of 
the  conflict — he  and  his  brave  riflemen  at  a 
distance  from  the  field.  For  hours  he  was  at 
Richmond  Mills,  three  miles  from  Monmouth 
Court  House,  awaiting  orders  in  an  agony  of 
desire  to  engage  in  the  battle,  for  he  was  with 
in  sound  of  its  fearful  tumult.  He  strode 
to  and  fro,  uncertain  what  course  to  pursue, 
and,  like  a  hound  on  the  leash,  panting  to  be 
away  to  action.  It  is  not  known  why  he  was 
not  permitted  to  take  part  in  that  conflict.  It 
seems  altogether  likely  that  had  he  fallen 


112          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

upon  the  British  rear  with  his  fresh  troops 
at  the  close  of  the  day,  Sir  Henry  Clinton 
and  his  army  might  have  shared  the  fate  of 
Burgoyne  and  his  at  Saratoga. 

"After  the  battle,  Morgan  joined  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  enemy  and  took  many  pris 
oners. 

"About  a  year  later,  finding  his  health  seri 
ously  impaired,  and,  like  many  other  officers, 
feeling  much  dissatisfaction  with  the  doings 
of  Congress,  especially  with  regard  to  pro 
motion,  Morgan  sent  in  his  resignation  and 
went  home  to  Winchester. 

"About  a  year  after  that,  when  Gates  took 
command  of  the  southern  army,  Morgan  was 
urged  to  return  to  the  service ;  but  he  refused 
to  serve  as  a  colonel,  because  if  he  did  he 
would  be  outranked  by  so  many  commanders 
of  state  militia  that  his  movements  would  be 
seriously  hampered  and  his  usefulness  im 
paired.  As  Congress  declined  to  promote 
him,  he  remained  at  home ;  but  after  the  great 
disaster  at  Camden  he  declared  that  it  was 
no  time  to  let  personal  considerations  have 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         113 

any  weight,  and  he  promptly  joined  Gates  at 
Hillsborough. 

"That  was  in  September;  in  October  he 
received  promotion,  being  made  a  brigadier- 
general,  and  Congress  soon  had  reason  to  re 
joice  over  the  fact  that  it  had  done  that  act 
of  justice,  since  it  had  resulted  in  placing 
Morgan  where  his  great  powers  could  be  made 
of  the  uttermost  service  to  the  country. 

"It  was  in  December  that  Greene  took 
command  of  the  southern  army,  and  he  then 
sent  Morgan,  with  nine  hundred  men,  to 
threaten  the  important  inland  posts  of  Au 
gusta  and  Ninety-six,  and  to  co-operate  with 
the  mountain  militia.  In  order  to  protect 
those  posts  and  his  communication  with  them, 
Cornwallis  sent  the  redoubtable  Tarleton 
with  eleven  hundred  men  to  dispose  of  Mor 
gan.  As  they  drew  near,  Morgan  retreated 
to  the  grazing  ground  known  as  the  Cow- 
pens,*  where,  on  a  long  rising  slope,  he 

*  The  author's  grandfather,  Samuel  Finley,  had 
charge  of  the  artillery  (one  cannon)  at  the  battle 
of  the  Cowpens,  was  afterward  complimented  at 
the  head  of  his  regiment  ?«d  called  "the  brave  little 
major." 


114          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE 8 

awaited  Tarleton's  attack.  His  men  were 
drawn  up  in  two  lines,  the  militia,  under 
Pickens,  in  front,  and  the  Continentals,  under 
Howard,  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  behind. 
Some  distance  behind  these  waited  Colonel 
William  Washington,  with  his  admirable 
cavalry. 

"When  the  British  attacked  Pickens'  line, 
after  a  brief  resistance,  the  militia  broke  into 
two  parts  and  retired  behind  Howard's  line  of 
Continentals.  As  the  British  advanced  to 
attack  this  line  it  retreated  slowly,  so  as  to 
give  Pickens  time  to  reform  his  militia. 
Presently  Pickens  swept  forward  in  a  great 
semicircle  around  Howard's  right,  and  at 
tacked  the  British  in  their  left  flank.  At  the 
same  moment  Colonel  Washington  swept 
around  Howard's  left  and  charged  upon  the 
enemy's  right  flank  while  Howard's 
line,  after  a  few  deadly  volleys  at  thirty 
yards,  rushed  forward  with  levelled  bayo 
nets. 

"Thus  terribly  entrapped,  most  of  the 
British  threw  down  their  arms  and  surren- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         115 

dered,  while  the  rest  scattered  and  fled.  They 
lost  heavily,  in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners, 
besides  two  field-pieces  and  one  thousand 
stand  of  arms.  Only  two  hundred  and  sev 
enty  escaped,  among  them  Tarleton,  who 
barely  saved  himself  in  a  furious  single  com 
bat  with  Colonel  Washington. 

"The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  this  aston 
ishing  action  was  twelve  killed  and  sixty-one 
wounded.  It  is  said  that  in  point  of  tactics 
it  was  the  most  brilliant  battle  of  the  Revolu 
tionary  War.  And  it  is  brilliant  even  com 
pared  with  the  work  of  the  greatest  masters 
of  the  military  art. 

"That  victory  of  the  Americans  was  a  crip 
pling  blow  to  Cornwallis,  because  it  deprived 
him  of  his  most  effective  light  infantry. 

"Cornwallis  was  nearer  than  Morgan  to  the 
fords  of  the  Catawba  which  Morgan  must 
cross  to  rejoin  Greene,  but  by  a  superb  march 
Morgan  gained  the  river  first,  crossed  it  and 
kept  on  into  North  Carolina. 

"There  was  a  masterly  series  of  movements 
there,  after  Greene's  arrival,  which  ended  in 


116          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

the  battle  of  Guilford  and  Cornwallis's  re 
treat  into  Virginia. 

"But  before  the  campaign  was  ended  Mor 
gan  was  suffering  so  severely  with  rheuma 
tism  that  he  was  compelled  to  quit  active  work 
and  go  home. 

"That  was  in  February,  1781.  By  the  fol 
lowing  June  he  had  so  far  recovered  that  he 
was  able  to  command  troops  to  suppress  a 
Loyalist  insurrection  in  the  Shenandoah  Val 
ley. 

"He  then  reported  to  Lafayette  at  his  head 
quarters  near  Jamestown,  and  was  put  in 
command  of  all  the  light  troops  and  cavalry 
in  the  marquis's  army.  But  in  August  a  re 
turn  of  his  rheumatism  again  obliged  him  to 
go  home. 

"For  the  next  thirteen  years  he  had  a  quiet 
life  upon  his  estate.  He  grew  wealthy,  and 
entertained  many  eminent  and  interesting 
guests.  His  native  qualities  of  mind  were 
such  as  to  make  his  conversation  instructive 
and  charming,  in  spite  of  the  defect  of  his 
early  education. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         117 

"In  1795,  with  the  rank  of  major-general, 
he  held  a  command  in  the  large  army  that,  by 
its  mere  presence  in  Western  Pennsylvania, 
put  an  end  to  the  whiskey  insurrection.  The 
next  year  he  was  elected  by  the  Federalists  to 
Congress.  But  failing  health  again  called 
him  home  before  the  end  of  his  term,  and 
from  this  time  until  his  death  he  seldom  left 
his  fireside.  He  died  on  the  6th  of  July, 
1802,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age." 

"Was  he  a  Christian  man,  papa?"  asked 
Elsie. 

"I  think  he  was,"  her  father  said  in  reply. 
"He  had  a  pious  mother  and  it  seems  never 
forgot  her  teachings.  In  his  later  years  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  Winchester.  'Ah,'  he  would  often  exclaim, 
when  talking  of  the  past,  'people  said  old 
Morgan  never  feared — they  thought  old  Mor 
gan  never  prayed — they  did  not  know  old 
Morgan  was  miserably  afraid.'  He  said  he 
trembled  at  Quebec,  and  in  the  gloom  of  early 
morning,  when  approaching  the  battery  at 
Cape  Diamond,  he  knelt  in  the  snow  and 


118          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

prayed ;  and  before  the  battle  at  the  Cowpens, 
he  went  into  the  woods,  ascended  a  tree,  and 
there  poured  out  his  soul  in  prayer  for  pro 
tection. 

"Morgan  was  large  and  strong.  He  was 
six  feet  in  height  and  very  muscular,  and 
weighed  more  than  two  hundred  pounds.  His 
strength  and  endurance  were  remarkable; 
and  he  was  a  very  handsome  man — said  to  be 
equalled  by  but  few  men  of  his  time  in  beauty 
of  feature  and  expression.  His  manners 
were  quiet  and  refined,  his  bearing  was  noble 
and  his  temper  sweet,  though  his  wrath  was 
easily  aroused  by  the  sight  of  injustice." 

"No  wonder,  then,  that  he  took  up  arms 
against  King  George,"  remarked  Lucilla. 

"A  natural  result  of  having  such  a  dis 
position,  I  think,"  returned  her  father,  and 
went  on  with  his  story. 

"Morgan  was  noted  for  truthfulness  and 
candor,  and  throughout  life  his  conduct  was 
regulated  by  the  most  rigid  code  of  honor. 
He  was  also,  as  I  have  said,  a  devout  Chris 
tian." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         119 

"Oh,  I  am  so  glad  of  that !"  exclaimed  little 
Elsie;  "and  I  hope  we  will  all  meet  him  in 
heaven — the  dear,  brave,  good  man." 

"I  hope  we  will,  daughter,"  responded  the 
captain  heartily,  while  several  of  his  other 
listeners  looked  as  if  they  shared  the  feelings 
of  love  and  admiration  for  the  brave  patriot, 
Daniel  Morgan. 


CHAPTER  XI 

IT  was  now  a  little  past  the  children's  bed 
time,  so  they  bade  good-night,  and  went  with 
in  doors.  Grace  and  Harold  and  Mr.  Leland 
withdrew  from  the  porch  also,  and  the  cap 
tain  and  Lucilla  had  it  to  themselves.  They 
paced  back  and  forth,  arm  in  arm,  conversing 
in  rather  subdued  tones. 

"You  heard  from  Chester  to-day  ?"  he  said 
inquiringly. 

"Yes,  sir;  such  a  bright,  cheerful  letter. 
He  is  very  well,  prospering  with  his  business, 
and  enjoying  himself  morning  and  evenings 
at  Ion,  where  they  are  most  kindly  insistent 
on  entertaining  him  until  my  return.  He 
has  been  out  to  Sunnyside  and  reports  that 
everything  is  in  fine  order  there — indoors 
and  out.  He  says  he  will  be  delighted  to 
see  his  wife  when  she  returns,  but  hopes  sha 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         121 

will  stay  in  the  north  until  the  weather  is 
cooler." 

"That  is  all  very  satisfactory,"  said  her 
father.  "I  am  glad  you  have  so  kind  and 
affectionate  a  husband,  and  I  hope  to  be  able 
to  return  you  to  him  in  a  very  few  weeks." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  since  the  return  will 
not  separate  me,  to  any  great  extent,  from  the 
dear  father  who  does  so  much  to  make  my  life 
bright  and  happy,"  she  said,  with  a  sweet  and 
loving  smile  up  into  his  face.  "Oh,  father, 
how  much  easier  and  happier  life  seems  to 
be  to  us  than  it  was  to  those  poor  fellows  who 
fought  the  battles  of  the  ^Revolution  through 
such  poverty  and  suffering.  It  makes  my 
heart  ache  to  read  and  to  think  of  the  bleeding 
of  their  bare  feet  on  the  snow  as  they  marched 
over  it,  and  to  know  that  they  were  in  rags 
and  sometimes  had  little  or  nothing  to  eat." 

"Yes,"  said  her  father,  "I  feel  very  much 
as  you  do  about  it.  I  wish  I  knew  they  were 
all  Christians,  therefore  happy  in  heaven 
now." 

"So  do  I,  father,"  she  sighed,  "but  it  seems 


to  me  one  of  the  very  dreadful  things  about 
war  is  its  sending  so  many  to  death  with  no 
time  for  preparation,  and  probably  in  the 
heat  of  passion  with  their  foes." 

"That  is  true/'  he  said.  "War  is  a  dread 
ful  thing ;  always  very  wicked  on  one  side,  if 
not  on  both.  The  Revolutionary  War  was 
right  and  commendable  on  the  side  of  our 
forbears — resisting  tyranny  as  they  were — • 
and  we,  their  descendants,  are  reaping  from 
it  the  rich  fruit  of  freedom." 

"And  it  is  rich  fruit!"  exclaimed  Lucilla 
in  joyous  tones. 

"Land  where  my  fathers  died, 
Land  of  the  pilgrim's  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 
Let  Freedom  ring." 

"Sounds  quite  like  Fourth  of  July,  sis," 
laughed  a  manly  voice  behind  her,  and  turn 
ing  she  found  Max  standing  there. 

"Will  three  be  as  good  cotaipany  as  two  ?" 
he  asked,  in  the  same  lively  tone  in  which  he 
had  spoken  before. 

"Better,"  replied  their  father ;  "at  least  in 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         123 

this  instance;  and  the  porch  is  wide  enough 
for  three  to  walk  abreast." 

"And  it  won't  hurt  Lu  to  take  one  of  my 
arms  as  well  as  yours,  sir,"  said  Max,  offer 
ing  it. 

"Well,  I  will;  it  isn't  every  day  now  that 
I  get  the  chance,"  she  responded,  slipping  her 
hand  into  it.  "Kow  I  think  we  will  have  a 
fine  promenade." 

"What  report  can  you  give  of  wife  and 
daughter  at  the  present  moment,  Max?" 
asked  the  captain. 

"Oh,  they  are  doing  finely.  Eva  says  she 
feels  quite  well  enough  to  be  up  and  about  if 
that  tyrannical  doctor  didn't  forbid  it.  And 
our  baby  is  good  as  gold — and  a  great  deal 
more  valuable,"  he  added,  with  a  happy 
laugh. 

"She's  prettier  than  gold  this  one  of  her 
aunts  thinks,"  laughed  Lucilla.  "And  what  a 
treasure  she  will  be  in  Sunnyside,  our  sweet, 
pretty  home." 

"Yes,  I  hope  so.  It  is  very  good  of  you  to 
give  her  such  a  royal  welcome." 


124          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

"Ah,  if  only  her  father  could  be  with  us 
all  the  time !"  sighed  Lucilla. 

"Perhaps  in  that  case  his  companionship 
might,  at  times,  grow  wearisome,"  laughed 
Max.  "  'Blessings  brighten  as  they  take 
their  flight/  and  perhaps  it  may  be  so  with 
brothers  and  husbands." 

"A  remark  I  should  advise  you  not  to  make 
in  Eva's  hearing,"  she  returned  in  mirthful 
tones. 

"Ah,  she  would  know  just  how  to  appre 
ciate  it,"  said  Max.  Then,  turning  to  their 
father,  "I  was  much  interested  in  your  ac 
count  of  Morgan,  sir,"  he  said.  "He  was  a 
grand  man  and  did  a  great  deal  to  win  the 
independence  of  these  United  States,  now  the 
greatest,  grandest  country  the  sun  shines 
upon." 

"He  did,  indeed,"  the  captain  said  em 
phatically,  "and  deserves  to  be  remembered 
with  love  and  gratitude.  He  was  a  very  suc 
cessful  leader  in  those  times  of  our  country's 
sore  distress ;  and  he  could  not  have  been  had 
not  God  given  him  wisdom  and  skill  in  answer 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         125 

to  prayer.  My  son,  I  hope  you  will  follow  his 
example  in  that." 

"Such  is  my  purpose,  my  dear  father,  and 
has  been  my  practice  thus  far,"  Max  re 
turned  with  emotion.  "Trusting  in  God  it 
seems  to  me  is  the  only  thing  that  can  enable 
one  to  go  calmly  and  composedly  to  the  post 
of  duty  when  that  lies  where  the  messengers 
of  wounds  and  death  are  flying  thick  and 
fast." 

"Yes,  I  think  so,"  assented  the  captain. 
"Washington,  our  great  and  successful  com- 
mander-in-chief,  was  a  man  of  prayer — raised 
up,  I  have  no  doubt,  by  a  kind  Providence, 
for  the  work  that  he  did.  And  there  were 
other  praying  men  among  our  leaders.  It 
was  a  fearful  struggle,  but  God  helped  us  and 
enabled  us  to  become  the  free,  strong  nation 
that  we  are." 

"Oh,  how  thankful  we  ought  to  be!"  ex 
claimed  Lucilla.  "It  seems  to  me  it  was  a 
very  ridiculous  idea  that  this  great,  big  coun 
try  should  be  governed  by  that  little  one  away 
across  the  ocean;  especially  as  she  wanted  to 


126          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

be  so  tyrannical ;  for  it  is  certainly  true  that 
'taxation  without  representation  is  tyran 
ny.'  " 

"Yes,"  said  Max.  "An  Englishman,  argu 
ing  with  me  the  other  day  about  it,  said  it 
was  so  small  a  tax  that  the  colonists  were  de 
cidedly  foolish  to  make  such  a  fuss  and  go 
to  war  to  avoid  it.  I  told  him  it  was  principle 
which  made  them  so  determined;  because  if 
they  allowed  the  English  Parliament  to  im 
pose  a  small  tax  without  the  consent  of  the 
colonies,  they  might — and  would  be  very 
likely  to — go  on  and  levy  other  and  much 
heavier  ones.  The  colonists  were  a  free- 
born  people,  and  meant  to  remain  free ;  pre 
ferring  even  death  to  slavery." 

"Yes,  indeed!"  exclaimed  Lucilla;  "and 
that  last  word  of  yours,  Max,  reminds  me  that 
George  III.  highly  approved  of  the  slave 
trade  and  wanted  it  carried  on ;  and  it  seems 
as  if  he  was  by  no  means  averse  to  enslaving 
the  whites  of  this  country." 

"Quite  desirous  to  do  so;  even  to  the  set 
ting  of  the  savages  to  the  butchering  of  women 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         127 

and  children,"  added  Max.  "But  all  that 
being  so  long  in  the  past,  he  in  his  grave,  and 
our  liberties  secure,  it  is  hardly  worth  while 
now  to  rake  up  the  faults  and  failings  of  the 
poor,  crazy  old  king." 

"His  granddaughter  has  proved  a  much 
better  and  wiser  sovereign,"  said  Lucilla. 
"Women  do  sometimes  do  better  than  men." 

"At  some  things — things  not  requiring 
much  physical  strength,  for  example,"  the 
captain  said,  with  an  amused  glance  down 
into  his  daughter's  face. 

"Yes,  father,  it  is  certainly  true  that  men. 
excel  us  in  physical  strength ;  but  is  that  any 
reason  why  women  should  be  paid  less  for 
their  work  and  taxed  quite  as  heavily  on  their 
property — if  they  happen  to  have  any?"  she 
concluded  with  a  laugh. 

"No,  I  think  not,"  was  his  smiling  re 
joinder.  "Ah,  what  is  wrong,  I  wonder!" 
as  at  that  instant  the  man  in  charge  of  the 
Dolphin  was  seen  coming  with  swift  strides 
up  from  the  wharf  toward  the  house.  They 
stood  still,  watching  him  in  silence  till  he 


128          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

drew  near  enough  for  speech;  then  the  cap 
tain  asked,  "What  is  it,  Mr.  Bailey  ?" 

"Oh,  Captain  Raymond,  I  have  a  dreadful 
piece  of  news  for  you,"  was  the  reply,  in  a 
tone  that  spoke  of  disturbed  feeling;  "news 
from  Buffalo  that  President  McKinley  has 
been  shot." 

"Shot  intentionally?  murdered?"  asked 
the  captain,  in  tones  that  spoke  astonishment 
and  horror. 

"Yes,  sir ;  the  work  of  an  anarchist  of  un 
pronounceable  name.  If  I  had  my  way 
anarchists  should  be  promptly  expelled  from 
this  land  and  forever  excluded  from  it." 

"Is  McKinley  dead  ?"  asked  Max. 

"No;  but  the  wound  is  supposed  to  be 
mortal ;  noted  surgeons  are  attending  him  but 
have  hardly  a  hope  of  being  able  to  save  his 
life." 

"And  what  have  they  done  with  his  mur 
derer  ?"  asked  Max.  "Torn  him  limb  from 
limb?" 

"That's  what  would  have  been  done  by  the 
crowd  in  building  and  street,  if  the  police 


ELSlt!  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         129 

nadn't  been  able  to  keep  them  off  till  they 
could  get  him  into  prison." 

"It  was  what  he  deserved,"  said  Max  hotly 
and  with  emotion;  "but  the  police  did  their 
duty;  every  criminal  has  a  right  to  trial  by 
judge  and  jury." 

The  voices  of  those  on  the  porch  had  been 
somewhat  raised  by  excitement,  attracting 
the  attention  of  those  of  the  family  who  were 
within  doors,  and  bringing  them  out  to  learn 
what  was  going  on.  There  were  questions 
and  answers,  expressions  of  grief  and  horror 
and  queries  as  to  what  had  and  would  be  done 
with  the  assassin,  what  hope  might  be  enter 
tained  of  the  President's  recovery,  and  should 
he  die,  would  Roosevelt  make  a  good  and  com 
petent  successor? — that  last  query  coming 
from  the  ladies.  The  gentlemen  at  once  ex 
pressed  the  opinion  that  he  would,  but  also 
the  hope  that  McKinley  would  be  spared  aad 
restored  to  health  and  strength. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE  next  eight  days  were  with  the  older 
people  at  Crag  Cottage,  as  with  the  rest  of 
the  nation,  days  of  anxiety  and  alternating 
hope  and  fear  with  regard  to  the  dastardly 
attack  upon  the  President  of  the  United 
States.  After  that  came  the  sad  news  of  his 
death,  and  there  was  mourning  all  over  the 
land,  but  mourning  mingled  with  gladness 
that  so  good  and  capable  a  successor  had  been 
provided  that  the  country  seemed  in  no  dan 
ger. 

Eva  was  able  to  sit  up  now  a  part  of  each 
day,  and  her  baby  growing  fairer,  beginning 
to  smile  and  to  coo  very  prettily,  thought  her 
young  mother  and  aunts — to  say  nothing  of 
her  proud  and  happy  father.  Max  wanted 
to  see  wife  and  baby  safe  in  their  Sunnyside 
home,  and  all  began  to  talk  gaily  of  soon 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         131 

starting  on  their  often-made  southward  trip 
in  the  Dolphin. 

Grandma  Elsie,  doing  all  in  her  power  for 
every  one's  welfare  and  enjoyment,  seemed 
content  to  go  or  to  stay,  as  did  her  son  Harold 
and  his  Grace;  it  mattered  little  to  them 
where  they  were  if  only  they  might  be  to 
gether.  The  two  couples — Captain  Raymond 
and  Violet,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Leland — 
seemed  to  enjoy  themselves  and  to  feel  in 
different  in  regard  to  the  exact  time  of  leav 
ing. 

The  days  passed  very  pleasantly;  there 
were  walks  and  drives,  trips  up  and  down  the 
river  in  the  Dolphin,  hours  passed  upon  the 
porch,  if  the  weather  were  fine,  or  the  parlor, 
if  it  happened  to  be  stormy,  in  cheerful  chat, 
amusing  games,  or  listening  to  interesting 
stories  from  Grandma  Elsie  or  the  captain. 

And  so  the  days  and  weeks  rolled  on  until 
September  was  gone  and  October  had  come 
in.  Then  they  felt  that  they  must  go — the 
calls  from  the  loved  southern  homes  were  so 
many  and  so  loud  and  re-echoed  by  their  own 


132          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

hearts.  They  wanted  to  go,  yet  it  seemed  a 
trifle  saddening  to  think  of  leaving  this  sweet 
place  on  the  grand  old  Hudson  River. 

The  last  evening  of  their  stay  was  lovely 
and  warm  for  the  season,  and  until  the  chil 
dren's  bedtime  they  passed  it  on  the  front 
porch,  where  they  had  a  view  of  the  river. 

A  pause  in  the  conversation  was  broken  by 
a  request  from  Elsie  Raymond. 

"Papa,  won't  you  tell  us  about  another  of 
the  Revolutionary  officers  ?" 

"I  am  very  willing  to  do  so,  daughter,  but 
which  shall  it  be  ?"  the  captain  asked. 

"I  should  like  to  hear  about  General 
Greene,  if  the  rest  of  the  folks  here  would," 
she  answered,  glancing  from  one  to  another. 

"I  think  we  would  all  be  pleased  to  hear 
about  him,"  said  Grandma  Elsie,  "for  surely 
he  was  next  to  Washington  in  bravery,  talent 
for  the  work  in  hand,  and  success  in  using 
it." 

So  the  captain  began. 

"I  think  he  had  no  other  superior  than 
Washington  in  the  art  and  practice  of  war. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES        133 

He  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island,  the  son 
of  Quaker  parents,  brought  up  to  be  indus 
trious  and  painstaking,  and  managed  to  get 
a.  good  education  largely  bj  his  own  deter 
mined  efforts  in  private  study  of  ancient  and 
English  history,  law,  geometry  and  moral 
and  political  science;  he  was  also  fond  of 
reading  books  upon  war. 

"Some  few  years  before  the  Revolutionary 
War  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Rhode 
Island  Assembly,  and  was  one  of  those  who 
engaged  in  military  exercises  as  a  prepara 
tion  for  the  coming  struggle  with  England 
for  the  freedom  which  belonged  of  right  to 
the  people  of  this  land. 

"In  1774  he  enlisted  as  private,  and  in 
1775  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
Rhode  Island  contingent  of  the  army  at  Bos 
ton,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  He 
was  with  Montgomery  and  Arnold  in  their 
invasion  of  Canada.  He  was  made  a  major- 
general  in  1775,  and  distinguished  himself 
in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton. 

"He  commanded  a  division  at  the  battle  of 


134          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Brandywine  and  did  great  service  there. 
It  is  said  that  by  his  skilful  movements  then 
and  there  he  saved  the  American  army  from 
utter  destruction.  He  had  part  in  the  battle 
of  Germantown  also,  commanding  the  left 
wing. 

"Soon  after  the  taking  of  Andre  Washing 
ton  sent  orders  to  General  Greene  to  put  the 
left  wing  of  the  army  near  Tappan  in  motion 
as  soon  as  possible,  and  march  toward  King's 
Ferry.  It  was  midnight  when  the  express 
reached  Greene's  quarters;  before  dawn  the 
whole  division  was  upon  the  march.  But  I 
think  you  are  all  pretty  well  acquainted  with 
the  story  of  Andre,  his  doings  and  consequent 
end ;  so  I  shall  not  repeat  it  here  and  now." 

"But,  papa,  won't  you  go  a  little  more 
into  the  details  of  the  battle  of  Brandy- 
wine  ?"  asked  Grace. 

"Certainly,  if  you  wish  it,"  he  replied. 
"Greene's  work  was  very  important  there. 
The  British  army  was  very  much  stronger 
than  ours — they  having  eighteen  thousand 
men,  while  ours  were  only  eleven  thousand. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         135 

Washington  had  a  very  strong  position  at 
Chadd's  and  Brinton's  Fords.  The  British 
hoped  to  drive  him  from  it  in  turning  his 
right  flank  by  a  circuitous  march  of  eighteen 
miles  up  the  Lancaster  road  and  across  the 
forks  of  the  Brandywine  toward  Birmingham 
meeting-house.  The  British  were  safe  in  try 
ing  to  do  this,  because  their  force  was  large 
enough  to  enable  them  to  separate  the  wings 
of  their  army  with  little  risk.  Cornwallis 
conducted  the  movement  in  an  admirable 
manner,  but  did  not  succeed  in  striking  the 
American  flank,  because  Washington  made 
a  new  front  with  his  right  wing  under  Sulli 
van,  near  Birmingham  meeting-house,  so  that 
Sullivan  received  the  attack  on  his  front. 

"A  desperate  fight  ensued,  in  which  the 
British  army,  being  so  superior  in  numbers 
to  ours,  at  length  succeeded  in  pushing  Sulli 
van  obliquely  toward  the  village  of  Dilworth. 
Had  they  succeeded  in  completing  that  move 
ment  it  would  have  cut  the  American  army  in 
two  and  utterly  routed  it.  But  Washington 
sent  a  prompt  order  to  General  Greene,  who 


136          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

commanded  the  centre  behind  Chadd's  Ford. 
Washington's  order  was  to  stop  the  dangerous 
gap,  and  on  receiving  it  Greene  immediately 
obeyed,  marching  his  troops  five  miles  in  for 
ty-five  minutes,  and  connecting  with  Sullivan 
near  Dilworth,  he  averted  the  impending 
destruction  of  the  army.  Wayne  had  time 
to  withdraw  the  centre  and  Armstrong  the 
right  wing,  all  in  good  order,  and  the  whole 
army  was  united  at  Chester  in  excellent  con 
dition." 

"It  strikes  me,"  remarked  Doctor  Harold, 
"that  was  hardly  a  defeat  of  our  troops — the 
same  careless  writers  have  vaguely  described 
the  American  army  as  routed  at  the  battle  of 
Brandywine.  Surely  an  army  cannot  prop 
erly  be  said  to  be  routed  when  it  is  ready  to 
begin  to  fight  again  the  next  day." 

"No,"  replied  the  captain,  "and  the  fact 
that  Washington's  manoeuvring  prevented 
Howe's  return  to  Philadelphia  for  fifteen 
days  shows  that  the  Americans  were  not 
routed;  and  what  saved  from  that  was 
Greene's  memorable  double-quick  march  to 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         137 

Dilworth  and  his  admirable  manner  of  sus 
taining  the  fight  at  that  critical  point. 

"On  the  26th  of  September,  Howe,  having 
eluded  Washington  on  the  Schuylkill,  entered 
Philadelphia,  stationing  the  bulk  of  his  army 
in  Germantown,  and  on  the  4th  of  October 
the  battle  of  Germantown  was  fought. 
Greene,  intending  to  attack  the  front  of  the 
British  right  wing,  was  delayed  by  the  diffi 
culties  of  his  route  and  the  mistake  of  the 
guide,  so  did  not  get  to  the  field  as  early  as 
was  planned,  and  the  ground  assigned  to  him 
was  accidentally  occupied  by  Wayne. 

"When  victory  seemed  almost  won  an  un 
fortunate  mishap  turned  the  tide,  and  Gen 
eral  Greene  again  with  wonderful  skill  cov 
ered  the  retreat. 

"In  1Y78  he  was  made  quartermaster-gen 
eral,  accepting  the  office  at  Washington's 
earnest  solicitation,  but  reserving  his  right 
to  command  on  the  field  of  battle. 

"On  the  18th  of  June  the  British  evacu 
ated  Philadelphia,  and  took  up  their  line  of 
march  through  the  Jerseys.  Hamilton  and 


138          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Greene  urged  giving  them  battle,  and  on  the 
28th  of  June  a  general  attack  was  made  on 
Clinton's  forces  at  Monmouth  Court  House. 

"After  the  battle  Washington  marched 
northward,  crossed  the  Hudson,  and  en 
camped  in  Westchester  County,  while  Clin 
ton  continued  his  retreat  to  ~New  York. 

"And  Greene,  taking  no  rest,  immediately 
attended  to  the  numerous  orders  and  disposi 
tions  required  of  him  as  quartermaster-gen 
eral. 

"On  the  coming  of  the  French  fleet  it  was 
decided  to  make  a  combined  attack  upon 
Newport.  Greene  wished  to  take  part  in  it, 
and  in  August  he  took  up  his  quarters  with 
one  division  of  the  army  at  Tiverton. 

"But  the  French  had  a  variety  of  mishaps, 
chief  among  them  the  disablement  of  their 
fleet  by  a  tremendous  gale. 

"Soon  afterward  Greene  went  to  Philadel 
phia,  at  Washington's  request,  to  tell  Con 
gress  of  the  late  expedition  and  the  causes  of 
its  failure,  and  there  he  was  received  with 
distinguished  consideration. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         139 

"The  winter  of  1780  was  one  of  great  suf 
fering  to  the  American  troops,  for  the  lack 
of  food  and  proper  shelter.  Congress  seems 
to  have  been  shamefully  neglectful  of  them. 

"Greene  did  so  much  for  his  country  dur 
ing  the  Revolutionary  War  that  to  tell  of  it 
all  would  make  my  story  too  long  for  to 
night;  but  I  shall  try  to  give  you  some  of 
the  most  interesting  items. 

"Greene  was  president  of  the  board  con 
vened  for  Andre's  trial  as  a  spy  in  connec 
tion  with  Arnold's  treason.  With  tears 
Greene  signed  the  decree  of  the  court  con 
demning  Andre  to  death. 

"It  has  been  asserted,  but  not  confirmed, 
that  Greene  cast  a  deciding  vote  in  the  coun 
cil  against  granting  Andre's  prayer  to  be  shot 
instead  of  hanged.  The  reason  given  was 
that  if  punished  at  all,  Andre  should  receive 
the  punishment  meted  to  spies,  according  to 
the  laws  of  war. 

"Greene  was  given  the  post  at  West  Point 
after  it  was  left  vacant  by  Arnold's  treason. 
Greene  assumed  the  command  early  in  Octo- 


140  ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONEb 

ber,  1780,  but  the  failure  of  Gates  in  the 
southern  field  caused  his  recall  in  August, 
and  by  common  consent  Greene  was  consid 
ered  the  best  man  fit  to  retrieve  the  fortunes 
of  the  southern  army. 

"Congress  empowered  Washington  to  ask 
Greene  to  take  Gates'  late  command.  Greene 
accepted  the  offered  post  and  found  a  for 
midable  task  awaiting  him.  He  took  the 
command  at  Charlotte,  2d  of  December, 
1780.  In  front  of  him  was  an*army  of  three 
thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-four  men 
abundantly  clothed  and  fed,  well  disciplined, 
elated  with  victory  and  led  by  an  able 
general. 

"To  oppose  this  force  he  had  an  army  of 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  seven,  of 
whom  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  were  present  and  fit  for  duty,  five  hun 
dred  and  forty-seven  were  absent  on  com 
mand,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
were  detached  on  extra  service ;  all  these  were 
half  fed,  scantily  clothed,  cast  down  by  de 
feat,  and  many  of  them  defiant  of  all  disci- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         141 

pline.  Also  the  country  was  infested  with 
Tories. 

"To  Greene's  bright  mind  it  was  evident 
that  he  could  not  face  Cornwallis  with  such 
inferior  numbers,  and  he  resolved  to  divide 
his  forces,  by  which  means  he  might  secure 
an  abundance  of  food,  keep  the  enemy  within 
narrow  bounds,  cut  them  off  from  supplies 
from  the  upper  country,  revive  the  drooping 
spirits  of  the  inhabitants,  threaten  the  posts 
and  communications  of  the  enemy,  and  com 
pel  him  to  delay  his  threatened  invasion  of 
North  Carolina. 

"With  the  purpose  of  threatening  the  Brit 
ish  left  flank,  Morgan  was  detached  with  his 
famous  Maryland  brigade,  and  Colonel 
Washington's  light  dragoons,  to  take  up  a 
position  near  the  confluence  of  Pacolet  and 
Broad  Rivers. 

"With  the  other  division,  Greene,  after  a 
laborious  march  through  a  barren  country, 
took  post  at  Hick's  Creek  on  the  Pedee,  near 
the  South  Carolina  line. 

"Tarleton  was  hastening  forward  with  his 


142          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

troops,  expecting  to  strike  a  decisive  blow  at 
Morgan,  whom  it  seems  he  despised,  proba 
bly  deeming  him  very  inferior  to  himself  in 
military  .knowledge  and  skill. 

"He  found  Morgan,  Colonel  Washington 
and  their  troops  prepared  to  receive  him 
and  his.  Then  followed  the  battle  of  the 
Cowpens,  of  which  I  told  you  the  other 
day. 

"Cornwallis  was  furious  over  that  defeat, 
and  set  out  at  once  in  pursuit  of  Morgan, 
leaving  behind  whatever  might  hinder  his 
movements." 

"But  he  didn't  catch  him,"  cried  Ned,  clap 
ping  his  hands  with  a  gleeful  laugh. 

"No,"  said  the  captain,  "Morgan  managed 
to  keep  out  of  his  reach,  crossed  the  river  first 
and  kept  on  into  North  Carolina. 

"But  to  tell  in  detail  of  all  Greene's  doings 
down  there  in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia 
would  make  too  long  a  story  for  to-night. 

"On  the  9th  of  February,  1781,  Greene, 
by  a  most  brilliant  march,  succeeded  in  bring 
ing  together  the  two  divisions  of  his  army  at 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    143 

Guilford  Court  House.  He  had  expected  re 
inforcements  from  Virginia,  but  as  they  had 
not  yet  arrived,  he  decided  to  retreat  toward 
them  and  put  the  broad  river  Dan  between 
the  enemy  and  himself.  In  that  he  succeeded 
without  loss  of  men,  baggage  or  stores. 

"Cornwallis  had  been  pursuing  him  for 
two  hundred  miles,  but  his  troops  were  now 
weary  and  discouraged  by  their  fruitless 
march,  and  he  therefore  prudently  retired  to 
Hillsborough. 

"However,  Greene  soon  received  his  rein 
forcements,  and,  crossing  the  Dan,  came  to 
battle  with  Cornwallis  at  Guilford  Court 
House.  That  battle  was  a  tactical  success  for 
the  British,  yet  the  Americans  gained  a  de 
cided  strategic  advantage,  for  the  enemy — 
too  much  shattered  to  go  on  with  the  contest 
— retired  to  Wilmington,  and  from  there 
moved  into  Virginia  to  effect  a  junction  with 
General  Phillips. 

"Then  Greene  at  once  turned  southward 
with  his  army.  His  reasons  were  given  in  a 
letter  to  Washington:  'I  am  determined  to 


144         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

carry  the  war  immediately  into  South  Caro 
lina,'  he  wrote.  'The  enemy  will  be  obliged 
to  follow  us,  or  give  up  the  posts  in  that  state.' 
If  the  enemy  did  follow,  it  would  take  the 
war  out  of  North  Carolina,  where  the  inhabi 
tants  had  suffered  great  loss  from  them,  and 
if  the  enemy  left  the  posts  in  South  Carolina 
to  fall,  he  would  lose  far  more  than  he  could 
gain  in  Virginia. 

"In  the  latter  part  of  April  of  that  year, 
the  American  army  established  itself  in  a 
strong  position  on  Hobkirk's  Hill,  near  Cam- 
den,  and  on  the  25th  the  British,  under  Lord 
Rawdon,  attacked  it  there.  It  was  exactly 
what  Greene  had  been  preparing  for. 

"The  assault  ought  to  have  resulted  in  the 
total  ruin  of  the  British  army;  but  through 
an  accidental  misunderstanding  of  orders, 
Greene's  very  best  men  in  the  Maryland  bri 
gade  behaved  badly  and  he  was  forced  to 
abandon  his  position.  Yet,  as  usual,  he 
reaped  the  fruits  of  victory. 

"He  had  sent  Marion  and  Lee  to  take  Fort 
Watson,  and  their  effort  had  been  a  brilliant 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         145 

success,  and  now  obliged  Rawdon  to  abandon 
Camden  and  fall  back  toward  Charleston. 

"Greene  now  had  everything  in  his  own 
hands,  and  went  on  taking  fort  after  fort 
from  the  enemy,  and  also  all  the  back  country 
of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 

"Now,  Greene's  army  had  been  moving 
and  fighting  for  seven  months.  Of  course, 
they  must  have  been  tired ;  so  he  gave  them  a 
rest  of  about  six  weeks  in  a  secure  position 
on  the  high  hills  of  Santee. 

"After  that  he  met  the  British  army,  now 
under  the  command  of  Stuart,  in  a  decisive 
action  at  Eutaw  Springs. 

"In  the  morning  the  British  were  driven  off 
the  field  by  a  superb  charge  on  their  left 
flank;  but  after  retreating  some  distance  in 
disorder,  they  rallied  in  a  strong  position, 
protected  by  a  brick  house  and  palisaded  gar 
den,  and  succeeded  in  remaining  there  during 
the  afternoon,  but  only  because  Greene  de 
sisted  from  further  attack  until  the  cool  of 
the  evening.  For  thus  holding  their  position 
merely  on  sufferance  the  British  army  absurd- 


146          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

ly  claimed  a  victory,  and  some  careless  Amer 
ican  writers — who  ought  to  know  better — 
have  repeated  the  error.  Greene  foresaw 
that  the  British  must  retreat  at  night;  they 
did  so,  and  he  then  renewed  his  attack.  They 
were  chased  nearly  thirty  miles  by  Marion 
and  Lee,  and  very  many  of  them  taken  pris 
oners.  Of  the  two  thousand  and  three  hun 
dred  men  with  whom  Stuart  had  gone  into 
battle,  scarcely  more  than  one  thousand 
reached  Charleston.  There  they  remained 
for  the  next  fourteen  months,  shut  up  under 
the  shelter  of  their  fleet." 

"The  battle  of  Eutaw  Springs  was  a  great 
victory  for  the  Americans,  wasn't  it,  father  ?" 
asked  Grace. 

"It  was,  indeed,  a  decisive  and  final  one," 
he  replied ;  "at  least,  so  far  as  the  Americans 
in  South  Carolina  were  concerned.  Con 
gress  testified  its  appreciation  of  it  by  a  vote 
of  thanks  and  a  gold  medal." 

"What  was  the  date  of  that  battle,  father  ?" 
asked  Lucilla. 

"Battle   of   Eutaw   Springs?    Eighth   of 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         147 

September,  1781.  On  the  14th  of  Decem 
ber,  1782,  Greene  marched  into  Charles 
ton  at  the  head  of  his  army,  and  the 
next  summer,  when  the  army  was  dis 
banded,  he  went  home.  On  his  way  there 
he  stopped  in  Philadelphia  and  was  greeted 
there  by  enthusiastic  crowds  and  treated 
with  great  consideration  by  Congress — the 
men  who  had  come  so  near  depriving  the 
country  of  his  services." 

"Was  the  war  over  then,  papa  ?"  asked 
Elsie. 

"England  had  not  yet  acknowledged  our 
independence,"  replied  her  father,  "but  did 
so  on  November  30,  1782,  when  prelimina 
ries  of  peace  were  signed ;  those  were  changed 
into  a  definite  peace  on  September  3, 
1783." 

"But  is  that  all  the  story  about  General 
Greene,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"Not  quite,"  replied  his  father.  "Some 
two  years  after  the  war  was  over  he  removed 
to  a  plantation  which  the  State  of  Georgia 
had  presented  to  him,  doubtless  in  acknowl- 


148          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

edgment  of  his  great  services  there  in  ridding 
them  of  British  tyranny.  He  is  said  to  have 
lived  there  very  happily,  with  a  good  wife 
and  many  congenial  friends,  in  spite  of  hav 
ing,  through  the  dishonesty  of  an  army  con 
tractor  for  whom  he  had  become  security,  to 
bear  a  heavy  pecuniary  responsibility.  He 
did  not  live  to  be  old,  dying  at  the  age  of 
forty-four  from  sunstroke." 

"What  a  pity!"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "Had 
he  any  children,  papa  ?" 

"Yes ;  two  sons  and  three  daughters." 

"I  think  they  must  have  been  very  proud 
of  their  father,"  she  said,  after  a  moment's 
thoughtful  silence.  "Thank  you,  papa.,  for 
telling  us  about  him.  I'd  like  to  know  about 
all  my  countrymen  who  have  been  great  and 
good  and  useful." 

"As  we  all  would,"  added  Lucilla;  "and 
we  may  be  thankful  that  we  have  a  father  who 
is  able  and  kind  enough  to  tell  us  so  much." 

"Yes,  indeed!"  responded  Elsie  earnestly, 
and  with  a  loving  look  up  into  her  father's 
eyes.  "I  thank  him  very  much,  and  hope 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          149 

I  shall  never  forget  the  good  history  lessons 
he  has  given  us." 

"And  now  it  is  time  for  my  birdlings  to  go 
to  their  nests,"  said  Violet,  rising  and  taking 
!Ned's  hand.  "Bid  good-night  to  papa  and 
the  rest  and  we  will  go." 


CHAPTEE  XIII 

"WOULD  you  enjoy  a  little  stroll  about  the 
grounds  before  seeking  your  nest  for  the 
night,  dearest?"  asked  Harold  of  Grace, 
speaking  so  softly  that  the  words  reached  no 
ear  but  hers. 

"I  think  I  should — with  pleasant  com 
pany,"  she  added,  a  twinkle  of  fun  in  her 
eyes  as  she  lifted  them  to  his,  so  full  of  love 
and  admiration. 

"He  who  gives  the  invitation  will  do  his 
best  to  be  that,"  he  returned,  offering  his  arm 
as  they  both  rose  to  their  feet. 

A  few  minutes  later  they  were  seated  in 
the  arbor  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  overlooking 
the  river — the  very  place  where  he  had  first 
told  the  story  of  his  love  and  she  had  ac 
knowledged  its  return.  Both  remembered 
that  now,  and  the  pleasant  story  was  told 
again. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          151 

A  little  silence  followed,  broken  presently 
by  Grace. 

"What  a  lovely  scene  this  is!  What  a 
grand  old  river !  I  am  always  sorry  to  leave 
it,  though  glad,  too,  to  go  home  to  our  own 
place  in  the  sunny  south." 

"Yes ;  a  winter  here  would  be  too  cold  for 
my  frail  patient,"  said  Harold,  pressing  af 
fectionately  the  small  white  hand  he  held  in 
his.  "For  which  reason,  as  well  as  others, 
I  am  glad  we  have  homes  in  the  sunny  south. 
I  only  wish  that  you  and  I  might  at  once 
make  another  for  ourselves." 

"But  father  won't  allow  that  for  several 
years  to  come;  and  as  he  lets  us  be  together 
as  much  as  we  will,  don't  you  think  we  ought 
to  try  to  be  content  to  do  as  he  says  about — 
about  the  time  for  marrying  ?" 

"Yes,  dearest;  and  I  really  do  try  to  be 
content." 

"Yonder  lies  our  yacht.  She  looks  lovely 
in  the  moonlight.  I  am  so  glad  that  we  can 
go  home  in  her  instead  of  by  the  public  con 
veyances.  It  is  such  a  restful  mode  of 


152          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

travel,  and  we  can  all  feel  so  much  at  our 
ease." 

"Yes,  I  highly  approve  of  it,  especially  for 
any  patient  of  mine.  I  hope  we  are  going 
to  have  a  speedy  and  pleasant  little  voyage. 
But  now,  dearest,  your  doctor  thinks  it 
would  be  well  for  you  to  go  and  begin  your 
night's  rest,  as  a  suitable  preparation  for 
it." 

"Yes,"  she  said,  rising  and  taking  his  arm 
again,  "and  it  is  not  hard  to  say  good-night, 
since  we  are  to  be  together  again  in  the  morn- 
ing." 

They  found  the  porch  deserted  except  by 
the  captain  and  Lucilla,  who  were  taking 
their  usual  evening  promenade. 

"Good-night,  father,"  said  Grace  in  a  live 
ly  tone  as  she  approached  him.  "My  doctor 
orders  me  off  to  bed,  that  I  may  gain  strength 
for  to-morrow's  arduous  journey." 

"Ah!"  he  returned,  drawing  her  to  him 
and  giving  her  a  fatherly  embrace.  "I  highly 
approve  of  that  prescription,  and  hope  you 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         153 

may  awake  in  the  morning  stronger  and  bet 
ter  in  health  than  ever  before." 

"Thank  you,  father  dear;  and  I  hope  it 
won't  be  very  long  before  you  send  Lu  to  join 
me,"  said  Grace,  turning  a  smiling  face  tow 
ard  her  sister. 

"Oh,  I  dare  say  I'll  be  up  there  before  you 
get  your  eyes  shut  for  the  night,"  laughed 
Lucilla.  "As  we  don't  any  more  sleep  in  ad 
joining  rooms  when  at  home,  I  value  the 
privilege  of  being  near  you  at  night  while 
here." 

"And  it  is  well  for  you  to  be  together,  so 
that  if  one  is  sick  the  other  can  call  the  doc 
tor,"  remarked  Harold,  regarding  the  two 
with  a  pleased  and  amused  smile. 

The  next  morning  found  all  ready  and  anx 
ious  to  start  upon  their  short  voyage.  The 
yacht  was  in  excellent  condition,  their  trunks 
were  all  packed,  the  cottage  in  condition  to 
be  left  in  charge  of  the  usual  caretaker;  so 
at  a  reasonably  early  hour  they  were  all 
aboard. 


154         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

It  was  a  lovely  day,  warm  enough  for  most 
of  them  to  be  very  comfortable  on  deck  while 
the  sun  was  shining.  The  older  people  sat 
together  chatting  in  a  lively  way  while  the 
children  roamed  the  deck. 

At  length  Elsie  Raymond  came  and  sat 
down  beside  her  father. 

"Tired,  daughter  ?"  he  asked  kindly. 

"Not  so  very  much,  papa,  but  I  think  I'd 
like  to  hear  a  naval  story — it  seems  as  if  it 
would  be  suitable  while  we  are  here  on  a  ves 
sel,  and  I  feel  sure  you  must  know  a  good 
many  of  them." 

He  laughed  a  little  at  that.  "Perhaps  I 
do,"  he  said,  "and  I  suppose  it  is  natural  for 
a  naval  officer's  daughter  to  crave  naval  sto 
ries.  Shall  I  tell  you  of  the  fight  between  the 
"Wasp  and  Frolic — a  fight  that  took  place 
during  our  last  war  with  England  ? 

"Oh,  yes,  papa,"  she  answered  eagerly,  at 
the  same  time  beckoning  to  the  other  children 
to  come.  They  understood,  hastened  to 
gather  about  the  captain,  and  he  began  at 
once. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         155 

"Near  the  middle  of  October,  1812 — you 
know  we  were  then  at  war  with  England — the 
American  gun  sloop  Wasp,  with  Jacob  Jones 
for  captain,  and  a  crew  of  one  hundred  and 
thirty-seven  men,  left  the  Delaware  and 
sailed  southeast  to  get  into  the  tracks  of  the 
West  India  traders.  On  the  next  day  she 
met  a  heavy  gale,  in  which  she  lost  her  jib- 
boom  and  two  men  who  were  on  it.  By  the 
seventeenth  the  weather  had  moderated  some 
what  and  she  discovered  several  sail,  which 
were  part  of  a  fleet  of  armed  merchantmen 
from  Honduras,  bound  for  England,  under 
convoy  of  the  British  eighteen-gun  brig-sloop 
of  war  Frolic,  of  nineteen  guns  and  one  hun 
dred  and  ten  men,  and  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Whinyates. 

"Those  vessels  had  been  dispersed  by  the 
gale  the  Wasp  had  passed  through.  The 
Frolic  had  spent  the  day  in  repairing  dam 
ages,  and  by  dark  six  of  her  convoy  had  re 
joined  her.  Four  of  them  mounted  from  six 
teen  to  eighteen  guns  each. 

"As  J  ones  drew  near  he  perceived  that  the 


156          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

British  vessel  was  disposed  to  fight,  and  was 
preparing  to  allow  the  merchantmen  to  escape 
during  the  engagement.  He  at  once  put  the 
Wasp  under  short  fighting  canvas,  and  bore 
down  toward  the  Frolic,  which  had  lost  her 
main-yard  in  the  gale;  she  now  lashed  her 
damaged  yard  on  deck,  carried  very  little  sail, 
and  hoisted  Spanish  colors  to  decoy  the 
stranger  and  permit  her  convoy  to  escape. 

"By  half-past  eleven  the  ships  were  not 
more  than  sixty  yards  apart  and  began  fir 
ing — the  Wasp  her  port,  and  the  Frolic  her 
starboard  battery.  The  sea  was  rolling 
heavily  under  a  stiff  breeze.  The  Frolic 
fired  very  rapidly,  delivering  three  broad 
sides  to  the  Wasp's  two,  both  crews  cheering 
loudly;  as  the  ships  wallowed  through  the 
water  abreast  of  each  other  the  Americans 
fired  as  the  engaged  side  of  their  ship  was 
going  down,  aiming  at  the  Frolic's  hull,  while 
the  English  fired  while  on  the  crest  of  the  sea, 
their  shot  going  high.  The  water  flew  in 
clouds  of  spray  over  both  vessels,  they  rolling 
so  that  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  went  under." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         15? 

"Then  they  couldn't  fire,  could  they,  un 
cle  ?"  aaked  Eric. 

"Yes,"  replied  Captain  Raymond;  "in 
spite  of  that  the  firing  was  spirited  and  well 
directed.  In  five  minutes  the  Wasp's  main 
top  mast  was  shot  away.  It  fell  with  the 
main-top-sail,  and  lodged  so  as  to  make  the 
head-yards  unmanageable  during  the  rest  of 
the  battle.  A  very  few  minutes  later  her  gaff 
and  main-topgallant-mast  were  shot  away, 
and  very  soon  her  condition  seemed  help 
less. 

"But  the  Frolic  had  been  still  more  seri 
ously  injured  in  her  hull  and  lower  masts. 
She  had  fired  from  the  crest  of  the  wave,  the 
Wasp  from  the  trough  of  the  sea,  sending  her 
shot  through  the  hull  of  the  Frolic  with  de 
structive  effect.  There  was  a  great  slaughter 
among  her  crew,  but  the  survivors  kept  on 
with  dogged  courage. 

"At  first  the  two  vessels  ran  side  by  side, 
but  the  Wasp  gradually  forged  ahead,  throw 
ing  in  her  fire  from  a  position  in  which  she 
herself  received  little  injury. 


158          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"At  length  the  bowsprit  of  the  Frolic  passed 
in  over  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Wasp,  forc 
ing  her  bows  up  in  the  wind.  This  enabled 
the  Wasp  to  throw  in  a  close,  raking  broad 
side  with  most  destructive  effect. 

"They  were  so  close  together  that  the 
Americans  struck  the  Frolic's  side  with  their 
rammers  in  loading,  and  they  began  to  rake 
the  British  vessel  with  dreadful  effect. 

"When  the  vessels  ran  foul  of  each  other 
the  crew  of  the  Wasp  were  greatly  excited 
and  could  no  longer  be  restrained.  With 
wild  shouts  they  leaped  into  the  tangled  rig 
ging  and  made  their  way  to  the  deck  of  the 
Frolic,  carrying  dismay  to  the  hearts  of  its 
surviving  crew.  All  of  those  who  were  able 
had  rushed  below  to  escape  the  raking  fire  of 
the  Wasp,  excepting  an  old  sailor  who  had 
kept  his  place  at  the  wheel  during  the  terri 
ble  fight.  A  few  surviving  officers  were  stand 
ing  on  the  quarter-deck  of  the  Frolic,  most  of 
them  wounded.  They  threw  down  their 
swords  in  token  of  surrender,  when  Lieuten 
ant  Biddle,  who  led  the  boarding  party, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES        159 

pulled  down  the  British  flag  with  his  own 
hands. 

"A  great  part  of  the  Frolic's  men  were 
killed  or  wounded;  not  twenty  persons  on 
board  had  escaped  unharmed.  It  was  at  a 
quarter  past  twelve  that  Lieutenant  Biddle 
hauled  down  the  Frolic's  flag — just  forty- 
three  minutes  after  the  fight  began.  Her  total 
loss  of  men  was  over  ninety,  about  thirty  of 
whom  were  killed  outright  or  died  of 
wounds." 

"Were  there  as  many  killed  and  wounded 
on  our  vessel,  the  Wasp  ?"  asked  Edward  Le- 
land. 

"N"o,"  replied  the  captain;  "five  of  her 
men  were  killed,  two  in  her  mizzen-top  and 
one  in  her  main-top-mast  rigging,  and  five 
were  wounded,  chiefly  aloft.  She,  the 
Frolic,  had  been  desperately  defended;  no 
men  could  have  fought  more  bravely  than 
Captain  Whinyates  and  his  crew.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Americans  had  done  their 
work  with  coolness ;  the  accuracy  with  which 
they  fired  was  remarkable,  and,  as  the  contest 


160          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

had  been  mainly  one  of  gunnery,  they  won 
the  victory.  When  the  two  vessels  separated 
both  masts  of  the  Frolic  fell,  and  tattered 
sails  and  broken  rigging  covered  the  dead, 
with  which  her  decks  were  strewn. 

"Lieutenant  Biddle  was  given  charge  of 
the  prize,  and  the  vessels  were  about  parting 
company  when  the  British  ship  of  war  Poic- 
tiers,  seventy-four  guns,  Captain  Beres- 
ford,  appeared  on  the  scene.  Two  hours 
after  Jones  had  won  his  victory  his  crippled 
vessel  and  more  crippled  prize  were  recap 
tured  by  the  Poictiers." 

"And  all  these  brave  men  were  made 
prisoners,  weren't  they,  papa  ?"  sighed 
Elsie. 

"Yes ;  but  they  were  soon  exchanged,  and 
Congress  voted  them  prize  money  for  their 
capture,  and  promoted  Captain  Jones  and 
Lieutenant  Biddle.  The  press  lauded  Jones. 
Delaware,  his  native  State,  voted  him  thanks, 
a  sword  and  a  piece  of  silver  plate.  The  Cor 
poration  of  New  York  City  voted  him  a 
sword  and  the  freedom  of  the  city.  Con- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         161 

gress  gave  him  the  thanks  of  the  nation  and  a 
gold  medal,  and  appropriated  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars  to  Jones  and  his  companions 
as  a  compensation  for  the  loss  of  their  prize 
by  recapture." 

"I'm  glad  of  that,"  said  Elsie,  with  a  sigh 
of  satisfaction,  "for  I'm  sure  they  deserved 
it." 

"There  were  some  stirring  songs  made  to 
commemorate  the  Wasp's  battle  with  the 
Frolic,  were  there  not?"  asked  Grandma 
Elsie,  sitting  near. 

"Yes,  mother,"  replied  the  captain ;  "they 
were  sung  everywhere,  and  by  boys  in  the 
street.  I  think  I  can  recall  a  stanza  of  one 
given  by  Lossing  in  his  'Story  of  the  United 
States  ISTavy' : 

"  'The   foe   bravely   fought,   but   his   arms   were  all 

broken, 
And  he  fled  from  his  death-wound,  aghast  and 

affrighted ; 
But   the    Wasp    darted   forward    her    death-doing 

sting, 

And  full  on  his  bosom,  like  lightning,  alighted. 
She  pierced  through  his  entrails,  she  maddened  hia 
brain, 


162          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

And  he  writhed  and  he  groaned  as  if  torn  with 

the  colic; 

And  long  shall  John  Bull  rue  the  terrible  day 
He  met  the  American  Wasp  on  a  Frolic.' 

"Caricature  and  satire  were  pressed  into 
the  service  of  history.  A  caricature  entitled 
'A  Wasp  on  a  Frolic;  or,  A  Sting  for  John 
Bull,'  was  sent  out  by  a  Philadelphia  pub 
lisher." 

"Papa,  didn't  Lieutenant  Biddle  get  any 
presents  for  his  brave  deeds  on  the  Wasp 
against  the  Frolic  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Yes,"  returned  the  captain ;  "he  shared  in 
the  honors  of  the  victory.  The  Legislature 
of  Pennsylvania  voted  him  a  sword,  and  lead 
ing  citizens  of  Philadelphia  presented  him 
with  a  silver  urn  appropriately  ornamented 
and  inscribed." 

The  captain  paused — there  was  a  moment's 
silence. 

"That  was  a  very  nice  story,  papa ;  thank 
you  for  telling  it,"  said  Elsie. 

"Yes,  we  are  all  obliged  for  it,  uncle,"  said 
Eric. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          163 

"And  perhaps  would  like  another  one  ?"  re 
turned  the  captain  inquiringly,  and  glancing 
around  upon  them  with  his  pleasant  smile. 

He  was  answered  with  a  chorus  of  expres 
sions  of  the  great  pleasure  they  would  all  take 
in  listening  to  another  story  of  naval  doings. 
So  he  began. 

"Just  a  week  after  the  Wasp  had  won  her 
victory  a  still  more  important  one  was  gained. 
In  the  middle  of  October,  1812,  Commodore 
Rodgers  sailed  from  Boston  on  a  second 
cruise.  His  flagship  was  the  President,  for 
ty-four  guns,  accompanied  by  the  United 
States,  forty-four,  Captain  Stephen  Decatur, 
and  Argus,  sixteen,  Lieutenant-commanding 
St.  Clair.  These  vessels  soon  separated,  the 
United  States  sailing  southward  and  east 
ward,  hoping  to  intercept  British  West  India- 
men. 

"At  dawn  on  Sunday  morning  (October 
23),  near  the  Island  of  Madeira,  the  watch 
at  the  main-top  discovered  a  sail.  There  was 
a  stiff  breeze  and  heavy  sea  at  the  time.  The 
vessel  was  an  English  man-of-war  under  a 


164    ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONES 

heavy  press  of  sail,  and  Decatur  resolved  to 
overtake  and  fight  her. 

"His  vessel  was  a  good  sailer,  and  gained 
rapidly  on  the  one  she  was  pursuing.  Her 
officers  and  men  were  full  of  enthusiasm,  and 
as  their  ship  drew  near  the  British  vessel  they 
sent  up  shouts  from  their  deck  that 
were  heard  on  board  the  vessel  they  were 
pursuing;  that  was  before  they  were  near 
•enough  to  bring  guns  to  bear  upon  each  other. 

"At  about  nine  o'clock  that  morning  De 
catur  opened  a  broadside  upon  the  British 
ship,  but  his  balls  fell  short.  However,  he 
was  soon  so  near  that  a  second  broadside  from 
the  United  States  took  effect.  The  two  ves 
sels  were  on  the  same  track,  and  now  fought 
desperately  with  long  guns,  the  distance  be 
ing  so  great  that  carronades  and  muskets  were 
of  no  avail. 

"The  shot  of  the  United  States  told  fear 
fully  on  her  antagonist,  and  she  presently  per 
ceived  that  the  only  way  to  save  her 
self  from  utter  destruction  was  to  come  to 
close  quarters  with  her  foe.  So  when  the 


ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  OXE8         165 

contest  had  lasted  half  an  hour,  riddled  and 
torn  in  hull  and  rigging,  she  bore  up  gallant 
ly  for  close  action. 

"Very  soon  her  mizzen-mast  was  cut  by  the 
shot  of  the  United  States  and  fell  overboard. 
Then  shortly  after,  her  main-yard  was  seen 
hanging  in  two  pieces ;  her  main  and  foretop- 
masts  were  gone ;  her  foremast  was  tottering, 
and  no  colors  were  seen  flying.  Her  main 
mast  and  bowsprit  were  also  badly  shat 
tered. 

"The  United  States  was  yet  unhurt.  De- 
catur  tacked  and  came  up  under  the  lee  of  the 
English  ship.  The  commander  of  that  vessel 
was  astounded  by  the  movement,  for  when 
the  American  vessel  bore  away  he  supposed 
she  was  seriously  injured  and  about  to  fly. 
The  blaze  of  her  cannon  had  been  so  inces 
sant  that,  seen  through  the  smoke,  the  English 
captain  thought  she  was  on  fire.  It 
seems  his  crew  thought  so  also,  for  they  gave 
three  cheers;  but  when  the  United  States 
tacked  and  came  up  in  a  position  to  do  more 
serious  damage  the  British  commander  saw 


166         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

that  further  resistance  was  vain,  struck  his 
colors  and  surrendered. 

"As  the  United  States  crossed  the  stern  of 
her  vanquished  foe,  Decatur  called  through 
his  trumpet,  'What  is  the  name  of  your  ship  f 
'His  Majesty's  frigate  Macedonian/  replied 
J.  S.  Garden,  her  captain." 

"Was  she  a  nice  ship,  papa  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"She  was  before  the  battle,  a  new  ship 
and  a  very  fine  one  of  her  class.  She  was 
rated  at  thirty-six  guns,  but  carried  forty- 
nine.  But  in  this  fight  she  was  terribly 
bruised  and  cut  up ;  most  of  her  rigging  was 
gone,  all  her  boats  were  shattered  into  use- 
lessness.  She  had  received  no  less  than  one 
hundred  round  shot  in  her  hull,  many  of  them 
between  wind  and  water.  Of  her  officers  and 
crew,  three  hundred  in  number,  many  were 
killed  and  wounded." 

"What  did  Decatur  do  with  her,  papa?" 
asked  Elsie. 

"He  gave  up  his  cruise  and  returned  to 
"New  England  with  his  prize.  He  went  into 
the  harbor  of  New  London,  and  Lieutenant 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          167 

Allen  took  the  Macedonian  into  Newport  har 
bor  about  the  same  time.  Soon  afterward 
both  vessels  sailed  for  the  harbor  of  New 
York,  where  the  Macedonian  was  first  an 
chored  on  New  Year's  Day,  1813.  One  of 
that  city's  newspapers  said  of  her,  'She  comes 
with  the  compliments  of  the  season  from  old 
Neptune.' 

"A  splendid  banquet  had  just  been  given 
in  that  city  to  Hull,  Decatur  and  Jones,  and 
all  over  the  Union  people  were  sounding  their 
praises." 

"And  what  did  the  English  think  about  it 
all?"  asked  Eric. 

"They  were  filled  with  disappointment  and 
unpleasant  forebodings,"  replied  Captain 
Raymond,  "while  all  over  the  United  States 
the  people  were  filled  with  exultation  and 
hope." 

"Didn't  the  Legislatures  and  Congress 
make  those  brave  and  successful  commanders 
some  gifts  to  testify  to  the  gratitude  of  the 
people — their  countrymen  ?"  asked  Lucilla. 

"Yes,"  replied  her  father.      "Legislatures 


168         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

and  other  bodies  gave  Decatur  thanks  and 
swords;  the  Corporation  of  New  York  gave 
him  the  freedom  of  the  city,  and  asked  for  his 
portrait  for  the  picture-gallery  in  the  City 
Hall,  where  it  still  hangs;  and  Congress 
thanked  him  and  gave  him  a  gold  medal." 

"I'd  like  to  see  that/'  said  Elsie.  "I  won 
der  if  the  family  have  it  yet." 

"Very  likely,"  said  Grandma  Elsie.  "Such 
a  thing  would  be  apt  to  be  highly  prized  and 
kept  to  go  down  from  generation  to  genera 
tion." 

"Ah !  whom  have  we  here  ?"  exclaimed  the 
captain,  rising  to  his  feet  as  at  that 
moment  Max  drew  near  with  Eva  on  his  arm. 
"Eva,  daughter,  I  am  truly  glad  that  you 
feel  able  to  join  us." 

"And  I  am  very  glad  to  be  able,  and 
permitted  by  the  doctor  to  do  so,  father," 
she  returned,  accepting  the  seat  which  he 
offered. 

"Yes,  it  is  high  time  you  were  allowed  a 
little  liberty,"  he  said,  as  he  and  Max  seated 
themselves  with  her  between  them.  "Ah! 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8         169 

here  comes  my  granddaughter,"  as  the  nurse 
approached  with  the  babe  in  her  arms. 

"Lay  her  on  my  lap,  please,  nurse,"  said 
Eva.  "I  am  quite  able  to  hold  her." 

"And  if  you  find  her  in  the  least  burden 
some,  pass  her  over  to  her  father,"  said  Max. 

The  children  gathered  round,  Ned  saying: 

"Now,  Brother  Max,  make  her  talk." 

"I  don't  want  to.  I'm  too  young,"  came 
apparently  from  the  baby  lips,  and  all  the 
children  laughed. 

"It's  rude  for  big  folks  like  you  to  laugh 
at  a  little  one  like  me,"  she  seemed  to  say  in 
a  hurt  tone. 

"No,  it  isn't;  but  I  don't  mean  to  do  it 
again,  though  I  am  your  aunt,"  laughed  El 
sie. 

"Are  you  ?  Then  you  ought  to  be  very  good 
to  me,"  the  baby  voice  seemed  to  say. 

"Yes,  and  I  intend  to  be,"  returned  Elsie. 

. 
"I  love  you  because  you  are  a  dear  little  soui, 

and  my  little  niece — your  father  and  mother 
being  my  brother  and  sister." 

"Elsie    isn't    your    only    relation    here, 


170         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

though,"  said  Alie;  "there  are  a  good  many 
of  us.  I'm  one  of  your  cousins." 

"And  I'm  another,"  said  Eric,  "and  big 
Brother  Edward  is  another,  and  so  is  little 
Sister  Vi.  You  have  a  good  many  relations; 
plenty  of  them — such  as  they  are." 

"I  hope  to  get  acquainted  with  them  all 
after  awhile,"  returned  the  baby  voice,  "but 
I'm  tired  talking." 

"Dear  me !  she  gets  tired  sooner  than  some 
other  folks,"  laughed  Edward,  turning  away. 
<CI  guess  she'll  not  grow  up  into  a  gossip  about 
other  folks'  matters." 

"I  hope  not,"  said  Eva ;  "but  I  see  she  i3 
going  to  sleep  now,  so  no  wonder  she's  tired  of 
talking." 


CHAPTEK  XIV. 

A  VEEY  good  dinner  was  served  on  board 
the  Dolphin  that  day,  and  on  leaving  the  table 
most  of  her  passengers  sought  the  deck 
again,  for  it  was  a  lovely  evening,  warm  and 
clear. 

The  captain  and  Violet  were  sitting  side  by 
side  on  a  settee,  when  Elsie  came  to  them 
with  a  wistful,  inquiring  look  on  her  face  that 
made  her  father  think  she  wanted  some 
thing. 

"What  is  it,  my  little  daughter  ?"  he  asked, 
drawing  her  to  a  seat  upon  his  knee. 

"If  it  wouldn't  be  too  much  trouble  for  you 
to  tell  me  about  the  War  of  1812,  papa,  I 
should  be  glad  to  learn  more  about  it,"  she 
said. 

"It  will  be  no  trouble  for  me  to  give  my 
dear  little  girl  as  much  information  as  she 
may  crave  about  it,"  he  answered,  patting  her 


172         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

cheek  affectionately.  "But  if  you  think  the 
other  children  will  care  to  hear  what  I  tell 
you,  you  may  call  them  here  before  I  begin." 

"Oh,  yes,  papa,  I  will,"  she  answered  joy 
ously,  and  hastened  away  in  search  of  them. 

Her  summons  was  obeyed  by  one  and  all, 
as  if  in  expectation  of  a  great  treat.  They 
gathered  about  the  captain  and  he  began. 

"We  are  now  at  peace  with  England;  the 
two  nations  good  friends,  as  I  hope  and  trust 
they  may  be  always.  But  between  the  wars 
of  the  Revolution  and  of  1812  this  country 
was  badly  treated  by  that  in  more  ways  than 
one.  To  tell  you  all  about  it  would  make 
much  too  long  a  story  for  to-night.  Lossing 
says  of  England  in  1810  that  she  had  seized 
and  confiscated  the  commercial  property  of 
American  citizens  to  an  incalculable  amount. 
She  had  contemptuously  disregarded  the  neu 
trality  of  the  American  territory,  and  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  American  laws  within  the 
waters  and  harbors  of  the  United  States. 
She  had  at  that  time  impressed  from  the 
crews  of  American  merchant  vessels  peace- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    173 

ably  navigating  the  high  seas  not  less  than  six 
thousand  mariners  who  claimed  to  be  citizens 
of  the  United  States,  and  who  were  denied  all 
opportunity  to  verify  their  claims.  I  think 
it  was  in  February,  1811,  that  a  richly  laden 
American  vessel  bound  for  France  was  cap 
tured  by  a  British  cruiser  within  thirty  miles 
of  New  York  City ;  and  early  in  May  a  Brit 
ish  frigate  stopped  an  American  brig  only 
eighteen  miles  from  New  York  and  a  young 
man,  known  to  be  a  native  of  Maine,  was 
taken  from  her  and  impressed  into  the  Brit 
ish  service.  Other  such  instances  had  oc 
curred,  and  often  the  men  thus  shamefully 
robbed  of  their  freedom  were  most  cruelly 
treated." 

"How,  papa  P  asked  Ned.  "What  did  they 
do  to  them  ?" 

"For  refusing  to  work  for  their  captors,  es 
pecially  after  hearing  of  the  declaration  of 
war  in  1812 ;  some  American  sailors  were 
most  cruelly  used;  three  who  had  been  im 
pressed  on  board  the  British  vessel  Peacock 
refused  to  fight  against  their  country  and  de- 


174          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

manded  to  be  treated  as  prisoners  of  war. 
They  were  ordered  to  the  quarter-deck,  put 
in  irons  for  twenty-four  hours,  then  taken  to 
the  gangway,  stripped  naked,  tied  and 
whipped,  each  one  dozen  and  a  half,  and  put 
to  duty. 

"When  the  Peacock  went  into  action  with 
the  Hornet,  they  asked  the  captain  to  be  sent 
below,  that  they  might  not  fight  against  their 
countrymen.  The  captain  called  a  midship 
man  and  told  him  to  do  his  duty,  which  was 
to  hold  a  pistol  to  the  head  of  Thompson  and 
threaten  to  blow  his  brains  out  if  he  and  his 
companions  did  not  do  service." 

"How  glad  they  must  have  been  when 
the  Hornet  took  the  Peacock!"  exclaimed 
Eric. 

"Yes,  indeed !  For  they  had  certainly  been 
very  cruelly  used  by  those  who  had  stolen 
them  from  American  vessels,"  said  the  cap 
tain.  "And  there  were  others  who  received 
still  more  cruel  treatment  from  them,  the 
robbers  of  the  American  seamen.  It  was  no 
wonder  that  America  was  roused  to  attempt 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          175 

a  second  war  with  Great  Britain  in  order  to 
stop  these  dreadful  outrages  upon  her  peo 
ple." 

"The  navy  did  a  great  deal  in  that  war, 
didn't  it,  uncle?"  asked  Edward. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain;  "they  were 
more  successful  than  the  land  forces." 

"Oh,  please  tell  us  some  of  their  doings !" 
cried  several  children's  voices. 

The  captain  mused  a  moment,  then  began. 

"I  will  tell  you  some  of  the  doings  of  Com 
modore  Rodgers  in  his  favorite  frigate,  the 
President.  After  some  unsuccessful  efforts 
to  intercept  vessels  trading  between  the 
West  Indies  and  Halifax,  St.  Johns  and  Que 
bec,  but  finding  none,  he  determined 
to  try  his  fortune  in  the  North  Sea  in  search 
of  British  merchantmen.  But  he  did  not 
meet  with  a  single  vessel  until  he  made  the 
Shetland  Islands,  and  there  he  found  only 
Danish  ships  trading  to  England.  His  sup 
plies  began  to  fail  and  he  went  to  North  Ber 
gen,  in  Norway,  to  replenish  his  stock.  There 
he  was  disappointed,  too,  for  there  was  a  great 


176         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

scarcity  of  food  all  over  the  country 
and  he  could  procure  nothing  but  water. 

"It  seems  he  knew  that  a  fleet  of  merchant 
men  were  to  sail  from  Archangel  in  the  mid 
dle  of  July.  But  just  as  he  expected  to  make 
some  prizes  from  among  them,  he  fell  in  with 
two  British  ships  of  war.  Knowing  that  he 
was  not  strong  enough  to  battle  with  both  at 
once,  Rodgers  with  his  vessel  fled,  hotly  pur 
sued  by  the  enemy.  (At  that  season  in  that 
northern  region  the  sun  is  several  degrees 
above  the  horizon  at  midnight.)  That  en 
abled  the  vessels  to  keep  up  the  chase  more 
than  eighty  hours,  during  which  time  they 
were  much  nearer  the  President  than  was  at 
all  agreeable  to  her  officers  and  men." 

"Oh,  I  hope  they  didn't  catch  her!"  ex 
claimed  Elsie. 

"No,"  said  her  father,  "she  escaped  from 
them.  Her  stock  of  provisions  had  been  re 
plenished  from  two  vessels  that  had  been 
taken  before  the  war  vessels  had  appeared, 
and  now  she  turned  westward  to  intercept 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         177 

vessels  coming  out  of  and  going  into  the  Irish 
Channel. 

"In  the  next  six  or  seven  days  he  (Rodg- 
ers)  captured  three  vessels ;  then  he  thought 
it  best  to  change  his  course,  as  the  enemy  was 
in  that  vicinity  with  a  superior  force.  He 
made  a  complete  circuit  of  Ireland,  then 
steered  for  the  hanks  of  Newfoundland,  near 
which  he  made  two  more  captures.  From 
these  he  learned  that  two  British  vessels,  the 
Bellerophon  and  Hyperion  frigate,  were  only 
a  few  miles  from  him.  However,  he  did  not 
fall  in  with  them,  and  soon  stood  for  the 
coast  of  the  United  States. 

"Toward  evening  on  the  23d  of  September 
the  President  fell  in  with  the  British! 
armed  schooner  Highflyer,  tender  to  Admiral 
Warren's  flagship  St.  Domingo;  she  was 
commanded  by  Lieutenant  Hutchinson;  was 
a  fine  vessel  of  her  class — a  fast  sailer.  When 
discovered  she  was  six  or  seven  miles  distant, 
but  by  a  stratagem  Commodore  Rodgers  de 
coyed  her  alongside  and  captured  her  with* 


178         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

out  firing  a  gun.  She  did  not  even  discover 
that  the  President  was  her  enemy  until  the 
stratagem  had  succeeded. 

"Before  starting  upon  this  cruise  Rodgers 
had  placed  in  his  possession  some  of  the  Brit 
ish  signals.  He  had  had  some  made  on  board 
his  ship,  and  now  he  resolved  to  try  their  effi 
cacy.  He  hoisted  an  English  ensign  over  the 
President.  The  Highflyer  answered  by  dis 
playing  another,  and  at  the  same  time  a  signal 
from  a  mast-head. 

"To  Rodgers's  delight,  he  discovered  that 
he  possessed  its  complement.  He  then  sig 
nalled  that  his  vessel  was  the  Sea  Horse,  one 
of  the  largest  of  its  class  known  to  be  then 
on  the  American  coast.  The  Highflyer  at 
once  bore  down,  hove  to  under  the  stern  of 
the  President  and  received  one  of  Rodgers's 
lieutenants  on  board,  who  was  dressed  in 
British  uniform.  He  bore  an  order  from 
Rodgers  for  the  commander  of  the  Highflyer 
to  send  his  signal  books  on  board  to  be  altered, 
as  some  of  the  Yankees,  it  was  alleged,  had 
obtained  possession  of  some  of  them. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         179 

"The  unsuspecting  lieutenant  obeyed,  and 
Rodgers  was  put  in  possession  of  the  key  to 
the  whole  correspondence  of  the  British  navy. 

"Pretty  soon  the  commander  of  the  High 
flyer  followed  his  signal  books.  He  was 
pleased  with  everything  he  saw  on  board  what 
he  believed  was  the  English  vessel  Sea  Horse, 
and  admired  even  the  scarlet  uniform  of 
Rodgers's  marines,  whom  he  took  for  British 
soldiers.  Invited  into  the  cabin,  he  placed  in 
the  commodore's  hands  a  bundle  of  dispatches 
for  Admiral  Warren,  and  informed  his  sup 
posed  friend  that  the  main  object  of  the  Brit 
ish  commander  on  the  American  station  at 
that  time  was  the  capture  or  destruction  of 
the  President,  which  had  been  greatly  annoy 
ing  and  destroying  British  commerce  and 
spreading  alarm  throughout  British  waters. 

"The  commodore  asked  what  kind  of  a  man 
Rodgers  was.  'An  odd  fish  and  hard  to 
catch,'  replied  the  lieutenant. 

"  'Sir,'  said  Rodgers  most  emphatically, 
'do  you  know  what  vessel  you  are  on  board 
of?' 


180         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"  'Why,  yes/  he  replied ;  'on  board  His 
Majesty's  ship  Sea  Horse.' 

"  'Then,  sir,  you  labor  under  a  mistake/ 
said  Rodgers.  'You  are  on  board  the  United 
States  frigate  President,  and  I  am  Commo 
dore  Rodgers,  at  your  service.' ' 

"Oh,  how  frightened  that  British  man 
must  have  been !"  exclaimed  Elsie.  "Wasn't 
he,  papa  ?" 

"I  suppose  that  at  first  he  thought  all  the 
commodore  had  been  saying  was  merely  a 
joke,"  replied  her  father.  "He  seemed  as 
tounded,  and  it  was  difficult  to  make  him  be 
lieve  that  he  was  really  on  an  American 
vessel.  But  the  band  on  the  President's 
quarterdeck  was  playing  'Yankee  Doodle/ 
and  over  it  the  American  ensign  was  dis 
played,  while  the  uniforms  of  the  marines 
were  suddenly  changed  from  red  to  blue. 

"It  would  seem  that  Hutchinson  might 
well  feel  alarmed  at  finding  himself  in  the 
hands  of  Rodgers,  for  he  had  been  one  of 
Cockburn's  subalterns  when  that  marauder 
plundered  and  burned  Havre  de  Grace  a  few 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          181 

months  before;  and  it  is  said  that  Lieuten 
ant  Hutchinson  had  now  in  his  possession  a 
sword  which  he  carried  away  from  Commo 
dore  Rodgers' s  house  on  that  occasion. 

"He  had  been  warned  by  Captain  Oliver, 
when  receiving  instructions  as  commander  of 
the  Highflyer,  to  take  care  not  to  be  outwitted 
by  the  Yankees.  'Especially  be  careful/  said 
Oliver,  'not  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  Commo 
dore  Rodgers,  for  if  he  comes  across  you  he 
will  hoist  you  upon  his  jib-boom  and  carry 
you  into  Boston.' ' 

"And  did  he  do  it,  now  he'd  got  him?" 
asked  Ned. 

"No,"  said  Captain  Raymond.  "Well  was 
it  for  him  that  the  enemy  into  whose  hands 
he  had  fallen  was  an  American.  Rodgers 
treated  him  with  courtesy  such  as  is  due  to  a 
prisoner  of  war,  and  soon  allowed  him  to  go 
at  large  on  parole." 

"And  did  Commodore  Rodgers  get  back 
to  his  own  country,  papa  ?"  asked  Elsie. 

"Yes;  three  days  after  the  capture  of  the 
Highflyer  he  sailed  into  Newport  harbor, 


182          ELSIE  AWD  HER  LOVED  ONES 

having  his  prize  with  him,  her  commander 
and  fifty-five  other  prisoners.  He  said  his 
cruise  had  not  added  much  lustre  to  the 
American  navy,  but  he  had  rendered  his  coun 
try  signal  service  by  harassing  the  enemy's 
commerce,  and  keeping  more  than  twenty  ves 
sels  in  search  of  him  for  several  weeks.  He 
had  captured  eleven  merchant  vessels  and  two 
hundred  and  seventy-one  prisoners." 

"What  could  he  do  with  so  many  prisoners, 
uncle  ?"  asked  Eric.  "I  should  hardly  think 
he'd  have  room  for  them  in  his  ship." 

"All  but  those  he  carried  into  Newport 
had  been  paroled  and  sent  home  in  the  cap 
tured  vessels,"  replied  the  captain. 

"Did  he  go  out  catching  British  ships 
again,  uncle  ?"  asked  Edward. 

"Yes;  on  the  5th  of  December,  1813,  he 
sailed  from  ^Newport  on  another  cruise  in  the 
President.  He  expected  to  fall  in  with  the 
British  squadron,  but  with  a  stiff  breeze  from 
the  north-northwest  he  got  well  to  sea  with 
out  falling  in  with  them.  The  next  day  he 
captured  the  Cornet,  which  British  cruisers 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         183 

had  taken  from  the  Americans ;  then  he  sailed 
southward.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Barbadoes 
he  took,  one  after  another,  three  British  mer 
chantmen.  He  ran  down  into  the  Caribbean 
Sea  and  cruised  there  unsuccessfully  for 
awhile,  but  finally  captured  and  sunk  a  Brit 
ish  merchantman,  then  sailed  for  the  coast  of 
Florida. 

"Going  northward,  he  was  off  Charleston 
Bar  on  the  llth  of  February.  He  did 
not  enter  it,  however,  but  continued  on  up 
the  coast,  chasing  and  being  chased,  dashing 
through  a  vigilant  British  blockading  squad 
ron  off  Sandy  Hook,  and  sailed  into  New 
York  harbor  on  the  evening  of  the  eigh 
teenth." 

"Then  New  York  did  him  honor,  didn't 
she,  father  ?"  said  Grace,  sitting  near,  listen 
ing  to  his  story. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain;  "many  of  the 
citizens  did  so,  and  a  dinner  was  given  in 
compliment  to  him  at  Tammany  Hall.  At 
that  dinner,  where  most  of  the  notables  of 
the  city  were  present,  Rodgers  gave  this 


184    ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

toast:  'Peace,  if  it  can  be  obtained  without 
the  sacrifice  of  national  honor  or  the  aban 
donment  of  maritime  rights;  otherwise,  war 
until  peace  shall  be  secured  without  the  sac 
rifice  of  either.' ' 

"A  good  toast.  I  like  the  sentiment  ex 
pressed,"  said  Grace.  "I  think  I  have  read 
that  a  good  many  gentlemen  were  present 
there  at  the  dinner." 

"Yes,  more  than  three  hundred;  many  of 
them  shipmasters,"  said  the  captain.  "A 
toast  was  given  to  the  commodore,  followed 
by  eighteen  cheers,  and  a  song  that  some  one 
had  written  in  his  honor  that  morning  was 
sung." 

"Papa,"  said  Elsie,  "was  it  right  for  him 
to  put  the  name  of  a  British  vessel  on  his, 
and  British  uniform  on  his  marines,  to  de 
ceive  the  British  on  the  Highflyer  so  that 
they  would  come  to  him  and  be  taken  prison 
ers?" 

"]STo,  daughter,  I  do  not  think  it  was,"  re 
plied  the  captain,  though,  no  doubt,  the  mo 
tive  of  all  of  them  was  good — to  defend  their 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          189 

country  and  countrymen  from  robbery  and 
oppression.  But  it  is-  never  right  to  do  evil 
that  good  may  come.  My  good  mother's 
teaching  was,  'You  should  die  rather  than  tell 
a  lie,  though  it  were  no  more  than  to  deny 
that  two  and  two  make  four.'  But,  no  doubt, 
Rodgers  thought  his  manosuvres  all  right  and 
fair;  and  they  certainly  inflicted  no  wrong 
upon  the  enemy." 

"Is  that  all  the  story  about  him,  papa?" 
asked  Ned. 

"Just  about,"  replied  his  father.  "His 
good  ship,  the  President,  now  needed  a  thor 
ough  overhauling,  and  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy  offered  Commodore  Rodgers  the  com 
mand  of  the  Guerriere,  the  ship  which  Hull 
took  from  Dacres,  and  which  might  be  made 
ready  for  sea  much  sooner  than  the  Presi 
dent.  The  commodore  went  to  Philadelphia, 
where  the  Guerriere  was  being  put  in  or 
der,  and,  finding  that  she  was  not  so  nearly 
ready  as  he  had  supposed,  he  informed  the 
Secretary  that  he  preferred  to  retain  com 
mand  of  the  President.  But  in  the  mean' 


186         ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

time  the  President  had  been  offered  to  Deca- 
tur.  Rodgers  courteously  allowed  that 
commander  to  take  his  choice  of  vessels,  and 
he  chose  the  President.  Now,  my  dears,  I 
think  we  may  consider  our  naval  studies 
ended  for  to-night." 


CHAPTEK  XV. 

THE  homeward  trip  of  the  Dolphin  was  a 
speedy  and  successful  one.  Her  passengers, 
healthy  and  happy,  enjoyed  it  greatly,  yet 
were  rejoiced  when  she  cast  anchor,  one 
lovely  morning,  in  the  harbor  near  their 
homes,  where  they  were  wont  to  leave  her, 
to  travel  the  few  remaining  miles  on  land. 

They  had  been  expected  at  about  that  time, 
and  Edward  and  Zoe  Travilla  were  there  to 
meet  them.  Grandma  Elsie  was  the  first  to 
step  on  shore,  and  Edward  caught  her  in  his 
arms  with  a  glad  exclamation: 

"Oh,  mother,  I  am  so  rejoiced  to  have  you. 
at  home  again!  We  can't  do  without  you. 
We  have  missed  you  every  day  and  every 
hour." 

"And  I  am  very,  very  glad  to  be  here  with 
you  all  again,"  she  returned;  "you  among 
them,  Zoe.  Ah,  Herbert,  my  son,"  as  at  that 


188         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

moment  he  and  Dr.  Conly  appeared  on  the 
scene,  "your  mother  is  rejoiced  to  see  you 
also,  looking  so  bright  and  well.  You,  too, 
Cousin  Arthur,"  giving  a  hand  to  him.  "Are 
all  the  dear  ones  well  ?" 

"Yes.  And,  oh!  but  we  are  glad  to  have 
you  home  again,"  both  physicians  answered, 
then  turned  to  welcome  the  others,  who  were 
stepping  ashore. 

It  was  a  most  affectionate  greeting  all 
round,  even  the  little  newcomer  sharing  in 
it.  Then  Edward  said: 

"Now,  friends  and  cousins,  we  want  you 
all  at  Ion  for  the  rest  of  the  day.  A  big 
enough  dinner  has  been  prepared,  and  every 
one  of  you  will  be  as  welcome  as  possible." 

"That  is  certainly  very  kind  and  hospita 
ble  in  you,  Brother  Ned,"  said  Mrs.  Leland, 
"but  I  really  think  we  would  better  take  our 
selves  and  our  luggage  to  our  own  homes  first 
and  visit  you  later  on,  a  few  at  a  time." 

"No,  Elsie,  dear,"  he  returned,  "we  have 
made  the  plans  and  preparations,  and  shall 
feel  greatly  disappointed  if  not  permitted  to 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          189 

carry  out  our  scheme.  Come  one,  come  all, 
and  let  us  have  a  jolly  time  together." 

Just  then  Chester  Dinsmore  came  hurry 
ing  toward  them,  having  just  learned  in  his 
office  of  the  arrival  of  the  vessel.  A  joyous, 
affectionate  greeting  exchanged  between  him 
and  Lucilla,  his  wife,  he  turned  to  the  other 
returned  travellers.  Then  Edward  renewed 
his  invitation,  adding : 

"I  have  been  out  to  each  one  of  your  homes 
and  seen  that  they  are  all  in  prime  order  for 
you,  but  told  the  caretakers  that  you  were 
to  dine  with  us  at  Ion  first;  therefore,  they 
need  not  expect  you  until  evening,  or  some 
where  near  it." 

"You  are  very  kind,  indeed,  Brother  Ned," 
said  Captain  Kaymond,  "and  if  my  wife  and 
the  others  are  willing  to  accept  your  advice — 
your  most  hospitable  invitation — I  shall  be 
happy  to  do  so." 

"I  should  like  to,"  said  Violet ;  "but  what 
about  the  baggage,  et  cetera?" 

"Those  things  can  all  be  sent  out  immedi 
ately  to  our  homes  and  safely  entrusted  to 


190          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

the  caretakers  Brother  ISTed  just  spoke  of," 
said  the  captain. 

All  now  accepted  Edward's  invitation,  en 
tered  the  waiting  carriages  and  were  driven 
at  once  along  the  good  and  pleasant  road  to 
Ion.  There  they  found  a  gathering  of  all 
the  relatives  in  that  region — Dr.  Conly's 
family,  Calhoun's  also,  Rose  Croly,  with 
her  husband  and  children,  the  Dinsmores 
from  the  Oaks,  the  Laceys  from  the  Laurels, 
Cousin  Ronald  and  his  Annis,  Hugh  and  his 
wife  and  children.  It  was  now  nearly  a  year 
since  Captain  Raymond  and  his  party  had 
sailed  away  in  the  Dolphin,  and  the  reunion 
of  so  many  friends  and  relatives  gave  much 
undisguised  pleasure. 

It  was  a  large  company,  but  with  nothing 
stiff  or  formal  about  it ;  there  were  many  lov 
ing  embraces  and  much  cheerful,  happy,  fa 
miliar  chat,  and  soon  they  gathered  about  the 
hospitable  board  to  regale  themselves  with 
dainty  and  delicious  fare,  the  meal  enlivened 
by  an  interchange,  suited  to  the  occasion,  of 
thoughts,  feelings  and  experiences.  There 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          191 

was  a  feast  of  reason  and  a  flow  of  soul,  ac 
companied  by  no  gluttony  or  gormandizing. 

Conversation  and  many  courses  kept  them 
long  at  the  table.  But  at  length  they  left  it 
and  gathered  in  the  parlors.  They  had  not 
been  there  long  when  Laurie  and  Lily  came 
in,  bringing  the  tee-tees — the  little  monkeys 
belonging  to  Elsie  and  Ned  Raymond.  They 
were  delighted  to  see  their  pets  and  thought 
the  pleasure  was  mutual,  though  the  older 
people  had  doubts  concerning  the  evidences 
of  pleasure  given  by  the  monkeys. 

The  nurse  had  had  the  care  of  Evelyn's 
baby  while  the  dinner  was  in  progress,  but 
now  she  brought  it  in  and  laid  it  in  the  moth 
er's  lap  while  she  should  go  and  take  her 
meal.  Several  of  the  cousins  gathered  about 
to  look  at  the  little  one,  and  spoke  admiringly 
of  her  appearance. 

"She  is  a  little  beauty,"  said  more  than 
one. 

Then  a  weak  little  voice  seemed  to  come 
from  her  lips : 

"Don't  make  me  vain." 


192          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Oh,  no,  darling.  You  are  too  young  for 
that,"  laughed  Grandma  Elsie,  "as  well  as 
too  young  to  talk  so  wisely  and  well." 

"Yes,  ma'am;  but  my  papa  helps  me," 
murmured  the  weak  little  voice,  and  every 
body  looked  at  Max  and  laughed. 

"What  a  nice  little  truth-speaker  you  are, 
little  niece,"  said  Lucilla,  leaning  over  the 
babe  and  softly  touching  its  cheek. 

"I  want  to  be  that  always,  auntie,"  replied 
the  same  little  voice  which  had  spoken  before. 

"Oh,  what  a  good  little  thing  you  are," 
laughed  Ned.  "I'm  glad  to  be  your  uncle." 

"Tell  him  he's  too  young  and  small  to  be 
of  much  use  as  an  uncle,"  said  a  voice  that 
seemed  to  come  from  some  one  behind  the 
group  about  the  baby. 

Instantly  every  head  was  turned  to  see  who 
the  speaker  was.  But  he  seemed  to  be  invis 
ible. 

"Why,  who  said  that  ?"  exclaimed  Ned. 

"Oh,  I  know.  It  was  you,  Cousin  Ron 
ald." 

"Some  people  are  wonderfully  wise,"  said 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         193 

Mr.  Lilburn.  "But  really,  now,  did  that 
sound  like  my  voice  ?" 

"Like  one  of  them,  I  think,"  laughed  Ned. 
"You  seem  to  have  a  good  many ;  even  more 
than  Brother  Max  has." 

Ned  had  his  tee-tee  on  his  shoulder,  and 
it  seemed  now  to  put  in  its  word : 

"Is  that  the  way  to  talk  to  your  old,  old 
cousin  ?" 

"Is  that  the  way  you  talk  to  me,  you  saucy 
fellow?"  laughed  Ned,  giving  the  tee-tee  a 
little  shake. 

"There !"  exclaimed  Lily  Travilla.  "That's 
the  first  time  he's  spoken  since  we  brought 
him  away  from  Louisiana  in  the  Dol 
phin." 

"I  can't  talk  when  there's  nobody  by  to 
help  me,"  was  the  tee-tee's  next  remark. 

"And  Cousin  Ronald  is  helping  you  now, 
isn't  he  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"Yes ;  and  he's  good  help." 

Elsie  had  Tiny  on  her  shoulder,  and  she 
put  in  her  word  now : 

"I  think  it's  my  turn  to  talk  a  little.    I'm 


194         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

glad  my  little  mistress  has  come  home,  thougE 
I've  had  a  good  time  on  the  yacht  and  here 
with  these  good  folks." 

"I'm  glad  you  have  had  a  good  time," 
laughed  Elsie,  "and  I  promise  you  shall  have 
a  fine  time  at  Woodburn,  my  home,  where  I'll 
take  you  presently." 

"Will  you  let  me  run  about  on  the  porches 
and  the  grass  and  climb  the  trees  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  as  much  as  you  like,  if  you 
won't  run  away  from  your  home,"  answered 
Elsie,  hugging  and  stroking  her  pet. 

"Now,  if  aunts,  uncles  and  cousins  will 
step  aside  for  a  moment,  her  grandfather 
would  like  to  take  a  peep  at  baby,"  said  Cap 
tain  Raymond,  coming  up  behind  the  group 
of  children. 

They  all  hastily  stepped  aside  and  he 
leaned  over  the  babe  and  chirruped  to  it.  It 
looked  up  into  his  face  and  laughed,  as  if  it 
knew  and  cared  for  him. 

"Ah,  you  really  seem  to  know  and  approve 
of  your  grandpa,"  he  said  laughingly.  "Eve- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          195 

lyn,  my  dear,  she's  a  darling,  a  pretty  little 
pet." 

"So  Max  and  I  think,  father,"  returned 
the  happy  young  mother. 

"And  so,  I  think  I  may  say,  do  we  all,"  said 
old  Mr.  Dinsmore.  "I  should  not  at  all  ob 
ject  to  counting  her  among  my  great-great 
grandchildren." 

"Nor  would  we  to  having  you  do  so,  sir," 
said  Max,  coloring  and  smiling  with  pleas 
ure,  for  he  was  very  proud  of  his  little  daugh 
ter  and  glad  to  have  her  admired  by  others. 

"I  am  proud  and  fond  of  the  little  dear, 
call  myself  her  uncle  now,  and  hope  to  be 
really  such  one  of  these  days,"  laughed  Har 
old. 

"We  all  hope  so,"  said  Max,  "and  have  no 
objection  to  your  claiming  that  relationship 
at  once." 

There  had  been  some  alterations  and  im 
provements  made  in  house  and  grounds  since 
the  Dolphin  and  her  passengers  started  on 
that  winter  trip,  and  presently  most  of  the 


196          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

company  went  about  viewing  them,  and  that 
with  entire  satisfaction  and  approval. 

But  the  sun  was  now  nearing  the  horizon, 
and  the  Woodburn  and  Sunnyside  folk  were 
growing  eager  to  see  and  rest  in  their  own 
loved  and  comfortable  homes.  The  carriages 
were  brought  up,  the  adieus  said,  and  they 
went  on  their  way  rejoicing.  Each  family 
went  to  its  own  dwelling  at  first,  but  they 
would  not  be  long  apart ;  that  evening  would 
see  them  all  gathered,  first  at  one  residence, 
then  at  the  other,  and  there  would  never  be 
a  day  that  would  not  be  spent  more  or  less 
in  each  other's  society.  This  would  be  true 
of  all  excepting  Max,  who  must  soon  return 
to  his  ship.  The  thought  of  that  was  all  that 
marred  the  happiness  of  that  evening,  with 
its  joyful  return  to  their  own  loved  homes. 
But  Evelyn  and  all  of  them  tried  to  put  away 
remembrance  of  it  for  the  present. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

"HOME,  sweet  home!"  exclaimed  Lucilla 
as  their  carriage  turned  into  the  driveway  on 
that  first  evening  after  the  Dolphin  had  come 
into  port.  "Home,  sweet  home !  There's  no 
place  like  home." 

"Except  Woodburn,  our  dear  old  home," 
returned  Max  in  jesting  tone. 

"~No',  Woodburn  and  Sunnyside — so  near 
together,  and  their  inhabitants  so  nearly  re 
lated — seem  to  make  but  one  home  to  me." 

"And  to  us  all,  I  think,"  said  Evelyn. 

"And  you  are  right,  I  am  sure,"  said  Ches 
ter,  as  the  carriage  drew  up  before  the  en 
trance.  "Ah,  here  we  are  at  the  very  thresh 
old  of  our  Sunnyside!  Wife,  brother 
and  sister,  a  glad  welcome  home  to  you  all." 
With  the  last  word  he  threw  open  the  carriage 
door,  sprang  out  upon  the  veranda  steps, 


198          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

turned  and  helped  Lucilla  to  alight.  Max, 
his  wife  and  baby  followed. 

A  joyous  welcome  was  given  them  all  by 
the  waiting  servants,  and  they  passed  in,  each 
couple  to  their  own  part  of  the  commodious 
and  beautiful  dwelling. 

"Welcome  home,  my  darling,"  said  Max  to 
his  wife.  "Welcome  home,  baby  dear,  papa's 
sweet  little  pet,"  taking  the  infant  in  his  arms 
as  he  spoke.  "Oh,  Eva,  my  love,  how  rich! 
we  are,  with  her  added  to  all  our  other  lesser 
blessings !" 

"Indeed,  we  are !  She  is  a  great  blessing," 
said  Eva,  caressing  the  child  as  he  held  it  in 
his  arms.  "To  me  she  seems  more  than  all 
others  taken  together — except  her  father," 
she  added,  smiling  up  into  his  face. 

"And  to  me  she  is  the  next  one  to  her 
mother,"  responded  Max,  bestowing  a  very 
loverlike  caress  upon  his  wife  as  she  stood 
close  at  his  side.  "How  good  my  father  has 
been  to  provide  us  with  this  lovely  home,  so 
near  to  his  that  we  seem  to  belong  to  his  f  am- 
ily  still." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    199 

"Yes,"  she  said  with  emotion.  "And  what 
a  dear  father  he  is !  I  am  so  glad  and  thank 
ful  that  he  seems  to  look  upon  me  as  his  very 
own  daughter.  I  had  been  so  hungry  for  a 
father  after  my  own  was  taken  to  the  better 
land." 

"Yes,  dearest,  I  think  I  can  understand 
that  hunger,  though  I  have  been  spared  the 
sad  experience,"  replied  Max,  his  tone  speak 
ing  even  more  sympathy  than  his  words. 

"And,  oh,"  he  added,  "I  want  my  little 
wife  to  be  the  most  blessed,  happy  woman  in 
the  world." 

"I  ought  to  be ;  and  I  think  I  am  when  my 
husband  is  with  me,"  she  returned  with  a 
smile  of  love  and  joy.  "What  is  it,  Kitty  ?" 
as  a  servant  came  in,  looking  as  if  she  had 
some  pleasant  news  to  impart. 

"Why,  missus,  dere's  sumfm'  jus'  come 
over  from  Woodburn.  De  cap'n  he  sends  it 
for  de  baby,"  replied  the  woman,  grinning 
broadly  as  she  spoke. 

"Ah,  is  that  so  ?"  asked  Max.  "Where  and 
what  is  it?" 


200    ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Sumfin'  for  de  baby  to  ride  in,  sah,  an* 
it's  out  on  de  poach,"  she  answered,  hurriedly 
leading  the  way,  Eva  and  Max  following,  he 
with  the  baby  still  in  his  arms. 

They  presently  found  on  the  front  veranda 
as  handsome  a  baby  carriage  as  either 
of  them  had  ever  seen,  and  were  both  de 
lighted  with  it.  It  was  ready  furnished  with 
pillows,  and  a  beautiful  afghan  of  a  most 
delicate  shade  of  baby-blue  silk  lined  with 
white  silk,  covered  with  white  duchess  lace, 
with  blue  ribbon  bows  on  each  corner, 
to  match  the  umbrella,  it  being  of  the  same 
shade,  and  also  covered  with  duchess  lace.  On 
a  corner  of  the  afghan  was  pinned  a  bit  of 
paper  bearing  the  words:  "From  Grand 
mamma  Vi  to  little  Mary  Raymond."  On 
the  under  side  of  the  afghan  were  the  initials 
"M.  R."  in  blue  embroidery  silk. 

Max  laid  the  baby  in,  Evelyn  covered  her 
carefully  with  the  afghan,  and  for  some  min 
utes  Max  drew  her  back  and  forth  on  the  ver 
anda,  she  cooing  as  if  enjoing  the  ride. 

Chester  and  Lucilla  had  quite  a  good  deal 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         201 

to  tell  each  other  of  their  experiences  during 
the  past  weeks  of  separation,  and  were  chat 
ting  and  laughing  merrily  in  her  pretty  bou 
doir,  when  some  slight  sounds  made  by  the 
baby  and  its  parents  and  carriage  excited 
their  curiosity  and  brought  them  hurrying 
downstairs  to  learn  what  was  going  on 
there. 

"Oh,  how  pretty!"  cried  Lucilla,  as  she 
caught  sight  of  the  little  vehicle.  "How  fine 
for  our  darling  baby!  Where  did  it  come 
from?" 

"It  is  father's  gift,"  answered  Max;  "the 
dear,  kind  father  who  always  thinks  of  every 
thing  he  can  possibly  do  to  add  to  the  happi 
ness  of  his  children." 

"He  does,  indeed!"  exclaimed  Evelyn. 
"Nobody  could  have  a  better,  kinder  father." 

"We  are  all  going  over  to  Woodburn  this 
evening,"  said  Max,  "and  we  will  take  baby 
in  her  carriage." 

"She,  as  queen  of  the  party,  will  ride, 
and  the  rest  of  us  will  walk,"  laughed  Lu 
cilla.  "Oh,  you  little  darling,  auntie  hopes 


202         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

you  will  always  be  able  to  ride  when  you  want 
to." 

"Doubtless  she  will  if  it  is  best  for  her," 
said  Max.  "It  looks  now  as  if  she  were  born, 
for  easy  times,  but  no  one  can  tell  what  may 
be  in  store  for  either  us  or  her  in  the  future." 

"Father  would  say,  'Don't  allow  yourself 
to  be  troubled  with  anxiety  in  regard  to  the 
future ;  remember  the  teaching  of  the  Thirty- 
seventh  Psalm,  Trust  in  the  Lord,  and  do 
good;  so  shalt  thou  dwell  in  the  land,  and 
verily  thou  shalt  be  fed,'  "  said  Lucilla. 

"Yes,"  agreed  Evelyn,  "if  we  all  had  per 
fect  trust  in  Him,  I  am  sure  we  should  be 
free  from  anxiety  and  very  happy." 

"I  am  sure  you  are  right  about  that,"  said 
Chester,  "and  if  we  practise  it — that  teach 
ing — we  shall  be  a  happy  set." 

"I  hear  our  call  to  supper,"  said  Lucilla. 
"Eva,  won't  you  and  Max  come  in  and  sup 
with  us  ?" 

"Do,  friends  and  relatives ;  we  will  be  very 
glad  to  have  you  partake  with  us,"  said  Ches 
ter. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         203 

"Thank  you  both,"  said  Max.  "I  think 
our  supper  is  just  about  ready,  but  if  you  will 
allow  its  dishes  to  be  added  to  yours  we  may 
share  with  each  other,  and  probably  enjoy  do 
ing  so." 

All  agreed  that  that  was  a  good  idea,  and 
the  plan  was  immediately  carried  out. 

The  Sunnyside  folks  were  not  more  glad 
to  see  their  home  than  were  the  Woodburn 
people  to  reach  theirs.  The  captain's  car 
riage  contained,  not  his  own  family  only,  but 
his  future  son-in-law  also.  Harold  was  bid 
ding  an  affectionate  good-bye  to  Grace  on  the 
veranda  at  Ion  when  her  father  said  laugh 
ingly: 

"Don't  indulge  in  adieus  just  here  and 
now,  Harold,  but  come  with  us  to  Woodburn. 
Who  can  tell  but  there  may  be  a  patient  there 
longing  for  a  sight  of  Dr.  Harold  Travilla's 
face  ?" 

"Thank  you,  captain;  a  kind  invitation, 
and  nattering  to  my  medical  and  surgical 
skill  and  supposed  desire  to  be  helpful  to 
others ;  but  I  should  be  sorry  to  crowd  you." 


204         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

He  and  her  father  were  helping  Grace  into 
the  vehicle  as  he  spoke. 

"There's  abundance  of  room,  Harold/'  said 
Violet;  "get  right  in  and  take  that  seat  be 
side  Grace." 

"Yes,  obey  that  lady's  orders  as  I  do," 
laughed  the  captain. 

"I  thought  I  had  outgrown  that  business," 
laughed  Harold;  "but  I  will  obey  in  a  mo 
ment,  when  I  have  said  good-night  to  mother 
and  the  rest." 

That  did  not  take  long,  and  the  captain's 
"Plenty  of  time  for  that"  seemed  to  afford 
satisfactory  permission.  In  five  minutes  the 
carriage  was  on  its  way  down  the  avenue. 

"!Now,  Tiny,  you  are  on  your  way  to  that 
pretty  home  I've  been  telling  you  about,"  said 
Elsie,  stroking  and  patting  her  little  pet 
monkey. 

"What  are  you  telling  her  for,  Elsie?" 
asked  Ned.  "Why  don't  you  wait  and  let 
her  be  surprised  when  she  gets  there  ?  Sur 
prises  are  nice.  I  always  like  to  be  sur 
prised." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         205 

"Something  of  a  mistake,  ISTed,"  said  his 
uncle.  "Some  surprises  are  far  from  agree 
able." 

"What  kind,  uncle  ?"  please  tell  me  about 
some." 

"Well,  I  have  heard  of  it  happening  to  a 
man  to  learn  that  all  of  a  sudden  he  had  lost 
all  his  money." 

"Oh,  that's  not  so  bad.  He  could  earn 
more." 

"Maybe  he  could;  but  if  so,  he'd  a  good 
deal  rather  add  that  to  what  he  had  before 
than  have  only  that." 

"There  must  be  a  good  many  kinds  of  sur 
prises,"  returned  the  little  fellow  thoughtful 
ly,  "and  I'd  rather  have  some  other  kind  than 
that.  When  papa  gave  me  my  pony,  that 
was  a  very  pleasant  surprise.  Oh,  I  was  just 
delighted." 

"And  these  tee-tees  were  a  very,  very 
agreeable  surprise  to  both  of  us,"  said  El 
sie,  patting  and  stroking  hers,  seated  in  her 
lap. 

"And  I'm  thinking  Eva  and  Max  will  soon 


206          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

have  a  very  agreeable  surprise,"  said  Grace, 
smiling  up  into  her  father's  face. 

"I  hope  so,"  he  said,  returning  the  smile. 

"Oh,  what  about  ?"  queried  Ned,  with  tone 
and  look  of  curiosity  and  excitement. 

"~No  doubt  you  will  learn  when  they — your 
brothers  and  sisters — come  over  to  Woodburn 
this  evening,"  answered  his  father. 

"Will  I  ?"  cried  Ned.  "Oh,  I  hope  they'll 
come  early ;  at  least,  before  Elsie  and  I  have 
to  go  to  bed." 

At  that  everybody  laughed,  and  his  mother 
quietly  remarked  that  she  was  surprised  to 
find  him  exhibiting  so  much  curiosity,  as  it 
seemed  to  be  understood  that  that  quality  be 
longed  rather  to  women  and  girls  than  to  men 
and  boys. 

"Quite  a  mistake  and  slander,  my  dear," 
laughed  her  husband,  then  changed  the  sub 
ject  of  conversation  by  calling  attention 
to  a  new  building  going  up  on  a  neighboring 
plantation. 

A  few  minutes  later  their  carriage  turned 
into  the  Woodburn  driveway,  and  presently 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         207 

they  were  leaving  it  for  the  veranda  of  the 
spacious  and  lordly  dwelling  where  the  ser 
vants  were  assembled,  Christine,  their  lady 
like  housekeeper,  at  their  head,  to  welcome 
the  returned  travellers  to  their  home.  Every 
body  seemed  full  of  joy  over  it ;  and  the  chil 
dren  were  delighted  with  the  curiosity  shown 
in  regard  to  their  new  pets  and  the  to-do  made 
over  them. 

A  bountiful  and  most  appetizing  repast 
had  been  prepared  for  their  reception,  and 
they  presently  seated  themselves  about  the 
table.  A  blessing  was  asked,  and  the  cap 
tain  began  carving  a  fine  turkey,  Violet  pour 
ing  the  tea.  The  table  was  charmingly  fur 
nished  with  beautiful  china,  cut-glass,  silver, 
flowers,  and  dishes  of  most  appetizing-looking 
food. 

"It  is  really  very  pleasant  to  be  at  home 
and  at  one's  own  table  again,"  remarked  the 
captain,  after  an  appreciative  glance  over  the 
board. 

"Whose  table  was  it  that  you  sat  down  to 
on  the  Dolphin  ?"  laughed  Violet. 


208         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"My  own,  I  believe,"  smiled  the  captain; 
"but,  somehow,  I  feel  more  at  home  here." 

"It  is  delightful  to  be  here ;  but  I  miss  Lu," 
sighed  Grace. 

"Well,  daughter,  she  is  not  far  off.  Keep 
up  your  spirits ;  she  will  probably  be  here  in 
the  course  of  an  hour." 

"Husband,  brother,  sister,  baby  and  all 
with  her,  I  presume,"  added  Harold  sportive 
ly.  "And  baby  will  probably  come  in  her 
own  coach,  like  the  grand  lady  she  is," 
laughed  Violet.  "I  shall  enjoy  seeing  her 
in  it." 

"Resting  on  and  covered  by  the  beautiful 
furnishings  provided  by  your  generosity  and 
taste,  mamma,"  said  Grace,  with  a  loving,  ap 
preciative  look  at  her  young  stepmother. 

"Are  we  going  to  have  a  party  to-night?" 
asked  jSTed. 

"Not  exactly,"  said  his  father;  "at  least, 
it  will  be  only  a  home  party  of  what  I  call 
our  own  immediate  family — my  children  and 
grandchild." 

"Many  thanks,  my  dear  captain,  that  I 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         209 

seem  to  be  included  in  the  number  forming 
that  happy  family,"  said  Harold,  with  a  bow 
and  pleased  smile. 

"Yes,"  laughed  Violet,  "but  don't  imagine 
that  I  am  going  to  permit  you  to  call  me 
mamma,  considering  that  you  are  my  younger 
brother." 

"So  I  am,  Mrs.  Raymond ;  but  by  no  means 
young  enough  to  be  an  obedient  son  to  you," 
Harold  returned  in  playful  tone,  "or,  indeed, 
any  son  at  all.  It  will  be  well  enough  to  bear 
that  relationship  to  your  husband,  but  fairly 
ludicrous  to  pretend  to  bear  it  to  so  young 
and  fair  a  lady  as  yourself." 

"I  should  think  the  fairness  would  make  it 
a  trifle  less  objectionable,  if  anything  could," 
returned  Violet  with  mischievous  look  and 
smile. 

"Really,  those  mutual  relationships  make 
small  difference,  except  as  they  may  affect 
your  docility  when  you  are  the  patient  and  I 
the  physician,"  returned  Harold  gravely. 

"All  of  us  obey  your  orders  when  you  are 
the  doctor,  uncle,"  remarked  Elsie.  "Sister 


210         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Grace  never  will  do  a  thing  that  you  tell  her 
not  to." 

"Of  course  not,"  laughed  Grace.  "Where 
would  be  the  use  of  employing  a  physician,  if 
you  didn't  follow  his  directions  ?" 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  meal  all  repaired 
to  the  veranda  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Sun- 
nyside  folk.  It  was  a  warm  October  even 
ing,  the  grounds  looking  beautiful  in  their 
autumn  robes,  and  there  seemed  no  pleasanter 
place  to  lounge  in  than  that,  with  its  abun 
dance  of  most  comfortable  settees  and  chairs. 

"It  is  very  nice  to  be  at  home  again,"  said 
Grace  with  a  happy  sigh.  "I  wouldn't  be 
willing  to  give  up  this  dear  home  for  any  of 
the  beautiful  places  I  have  been  in." 

"I  am  glad  you  are  so  well  satisfied,  daugh 
ter,"  the  captain  responded  in  a  pleased  tone, 
"and  I  hope  you  will  never  have  less  love  for 
your  father's  house." 

"Oh,  good,  good!  There  they  come!" 
Cried  Ned,  springing  to  his  feet  and  clapping 
his  hands  as  the  little  group  was  seen  ap 
proaching  from  the  direction  of  Sunnyside. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE 8          211 

"Yes,  children  and  grandchild/'  said  the 
captain,  as  he  and  Harold  hurried  to  meet 
them. 

"Many,  many  thanks,  father,  for  this  beau 
tiful  and  useful  gift  to  our  baby  daughter," 
said  Max  almost  before  they  had  fairly 
met. 

"And  not  from  baby's  father  only,  but 
from  her  mother  also,"  said  Evelyn ;  "many, 
many  thanks  to  you  and  Mamma.  Vi  for  both 
the  carriage  and  its  lovely  furnishings." 

"Ah,  those  last  are  gifts  especially  from 
my  wife,"  returned  the  captain. 

"Yes,  oh  yes,  I  know  and  appreciate  it; 
but,  no  doubt,  they  were  given  with  your  ap 
proval.  Ah,  Mamma  Vi,"  as  Violet  ap 
proached,  "I  hardly  know  how  to  thank  you 
enough  for  your  lovely  gifts  to  my  baby 
daughter." 

"Then  don't  try,"  returned  Violet  in  mirth 
ful  tones.  "I  assure  you,  the  pleasure  I 
found  in  doing  it  was  reward  enough.  How 
is  the  little  dear  this  evening  ?  Ah,  I  see  she 
is  sound  asleep.  How  nicely  her  papa  must 


212          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

have  rolled  the  little  coach  along  to  get  her 
in  that  condition." 

"She  does  more  sleeping  than  anything 
else  so  far  in  her  life,"  laughed  Max,  looking 
down  admiringly  into  the  sweet,  fair  baby 
face  resting  so  quietly  on  the  soft  pillow. 

The  children,  following  their  parents,  had 
met  them  now. 

"Oh,  we  want  to  see  the  dear  baby !"  they 
said  in  excited,  but  rather  hushed,  voices. 
"Let  us  look  at  her,  Brother  Max." 

"Not  yet,"  he  answered.  "Let  us  keep  her 
asleep  as  long  as  we  can ;  then  when  she  wakes 
of  herself  she  will  probably  be  in  a  pleasant 
mood.  I  don't  like  to  hear  a  baby  cry.  Do 
you?" 

They  had  reached  the  house,  and  the  gen 
tlemen  lifted  the  coach  up  into  the  veranda 
without  waking  the  young  sleeper. 

Lucilla  was  on  the  veranda,  gazing  about 
from  side  to  side. 

"Oh,  how  sweet  the  dear  old  home  does 
look !"  she  cried.  "I  want  to  go  all  over  this 
story  and  the  next  just  now.  May  I,  father  ?" 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          213 

"Certainly,  my  child.  It  is  your  own  home 
now  quite  as  much  as  it  ever  was;  because 
you  are  as  much  as  ever  my  own  dear  daugh 
ter." 

"Thank  you  for  those  kind,  loving  words, 
father  dear,"  she  returned  with  emotion,  lay 
ing  a  hand  on  his  shoulder  as  she  stood  at  his 
side  and  giving  him  a  look  of  ardent  affec 
tion. 

At  that  he  bent  his  head  and  kissed  her  on 
forehead,  cheek  and  lips. 

"It  is  my  turn  now,  papa,"  said  Grace 
sportively,  coming  up  to  his  other  side. 

"So  it  is,  my  darling,"  he  returned,  repeat 
ing  for  her  exactly  what  he  had  done  to  Lu- 
cilla. 

Elsie  had  noted  it  all  with  interest. 

"Now,  papa,  isn't  it  my  turn  ?"  she  asked, 
her  eyes  shining,  her  lips  curling  with  a  smile 
of  love  and  entreaty. 

"Yes,  little  daughter,  yes,  indeed!  You 
are  no  less  dear  than  your  older  sisters.  Come* 
and  give  and  take  the  caresses  papa  loves  to; 
exchange  with  you." 


214         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Violet  and  Evelyn  preferred  to  keep  watcH 
over  the  sleeping  babe,  but  all  the  others 
joined  in  making  the  circuit  of  the  rooms  Lu- 
cilla  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see.  They 
found  them  all  in  good  order,  Christine  be 
ing  an  excellent  housekeeper,  and  having  good 
and  competent  servants  under  her. 

"It  is  delightful  to  come  home  to  houses  so 
well  ordered  and  neat  as  this  and  Sunnyside 
have  proved  on  this  occasion,  Mamma  Vi," 
Lucilla  remarked  on  her  return  to  the  ver 
anda. 

"Yes,  and  I  think  I  fully  appreciate  it," 
replied  Violet.  "You  found  yours  in  good 
order  2" 

"Perfect.  It  could  not  have  looked  bet 
ter  if  I  had  been  there  to  oversee  the  work." 

"And  I  can  say  just  the  same  of  mine," 
said  Evelyn. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

OVEE  at  Ion  the  family  were  left  alone,  all 
the  guests  having  now  departed  to  their  own 
homes.  Zoe  was  seeing  her  children  in  their 
nests  for  the  night;  Grandpa  and  Grandma 
Dinsmore  were  chatting  together  on  the  front 
veranda,  while  Grandma  Elsie  and  her  sons, 
Edward  and  Herbert,  a  little  removed  from 
the  older  couple,  were  engaged  in  a  similar 
manner — her  sons  asking  questions  in  regard 
to  their  mother's  experiences  during  the  sum 
mer  and  fall,  and  she  telling  a  pleasant  and 
interesting  tale  in  regard  to  them. 

Just  then  a  hack  came  rolling  up  the  ave 
nue. 

"Who's  that  now,  I  wonder,"  growled  Ed 
ward,  "coming  to  interrupt  our  first  private 
chat  with  our  long  absent  mother  ?" 

"Probably  somebody  wanting  the  doctor," 


216         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

sighed  Herbert,  rising  and  moving  toward  the 
entrance. 

At  that  moment  the  vehicle  came  to  a 
standstill  at  the  veranda  steps,  and  instantly 
out  sprang  a  manly  form  and  came  quickly 
up  them. 

"Walter!"  exclaimed  Herbert,  reaching 
out  his  hand,  whi«h  the  other  grasped  and 
shook  heartily. 

"Yes,  brother  mine,  it  is  I.  Where's 
mother  ?  Mother !  mother,  dear !  Oh,  how 
glad  I  am  to  have  you  in  my  arms  once 
more !"  as  she  sprang  forward  with  a  cry  of 

joy. 

"Walter,  my  dear,  dear  youngest  son!" 
and  he  caught  her  in  his  arms.  "My  baby 
boy,"  she  laughed  the  next  moment;  "my 
baby  boy  grown  taller  than  his  mother.  Oh, 
why  wasn't  he  here  to  meet  and  greet  me  when 
I  got  home  ?" 

"A  little  business  matter,  and  a  misunder 
standing  as  to  the  probable  time  of  my  moth 
er's  arrival,"  he  answered,  repeating  his  ca 
resses. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         217 

Then  they  released  each  other,  and  joyous 
and  affectionate  greetings  were  exchanged 
with  the  remaining  members  of  the  family. 

"You  should  have  been  here  sooner,  Wal 
ter,"  said  Herbert  when  all  were  seated  again, 
with  his  mother  in  the  midst.  "She 
has  been  telling  Ed  and  me  some  very  inter 
esting  things  about  her  recent  visit  to  Cali 
fornia." 

"Perhaps  mother  will  repeat  her  story  to 
me  one  of  these  days,"  said  Walter.  "At  pres 
ent  it  seems  almost  enough  to  see  her  dear 
face,  without  hearing  anything  but  the  sound 
of  her  sweet  voice." 

"That  sounds  very  much  as  if  my  youngest 
son  had  been  licking  the  blarney  stone," 
laughed  his  mother. 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  mother,"  he  returned. 
"You  know  I  wasn't  brought  up  to  do  such 
things." 

"I  hope  you  were  not,"  she  said,  "but  you 
have  been  under  other  teachers  than  your 
mother  for  years  past." 

"True,  my  mother  dear,  but  I  hope  I  have 


218         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

not  forgotten  your  teachings.  !N"ow  what  is 
the  latest  news  about  uncles,  aunts,  cousins 
and  friends  in  this  neighborhood?" 

"I  really  think  but  little  has  taken  place 
which  would  be  new  to  you,  Walter,"  replied 
his  mother. 

"I  doubt,"  laughed  Edward,  "if  he  has 
heard  of  the  good  fortune  of  Eva  and  Max." 

"Money  or  estate  ?"  queried  Walter. 

"Something  better  than  either,"  remarked 
his  mother,  with  a  pleased  smile. 

"Oh,  I  suppose  Max  has  been  promoted. 
Good  for  him!  He's  very  happy  over  it,  I 
dare  say." 

"But  it  isn't  that.  You're  wide  of  the 
mark,"  laughed  Edward. 

"You  may  as  well  tell  me.  I  don't  seem 
to  be  Yankee  enough  to  be  good  at  guessing." 

"A  little  daughter,  as  pretty  a  baby  as  ever 
was  seen — of  course,  excepting  Zoe's  and 
mine." 

"Oh,  is  that  it  ?"  laughed  Walter.  "Well, 
I'll  congratulate  them  when  I  see  them.  Am 
I  uncle  to  it,  mother  ?" 


ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONES         219 

"No,"  she  replied  with  a  smile;  "you  are 
not  really  related  at  all  to  either  parent,  so  of 
course  not  to  the  child." 

"Yet  both  the  parents  and  I  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  calling  each  other  cousin,  so  I 
think  I'll  claim  kin  with  the  little  beauty  you 
tell  me  of." 

"And  I  don't  think  any  one  will  object," 
said  his  mother. 

Zoe  now  joined  them,  welcomed  Walter 
heartily,  and  the  talk  went  on,  principally 
about  the  various  relatives  and  connections, 
but  with  never  an  unkind  or  uncharitable 
word  in  regard  to  any  of  them. 

"And  you  had  them  all  here  to-day,"  Wal 
ter  said  at  length.  "I  wish  I  had  reached 
home  a  few  hours  sooner." 

"We  would  all  have  been  glad  to  see  you 
then,  as  we  are  now,  my  son,"  said  his  mother. 
"But  don't  feel  too  much  disappointed.  I 
have  an  idea  that  there  will  be  a  number  of 
other  family  gatherings  before  Max  is  or 
dered  away  again." 

"Yes,"  said  Grandma  Dinsmore,  "I  heard 


220          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

several  of  to-day's  guests  express  an  intention 
to  have  such  a  family  gathering  themselves 
before  very  long." 

"And  they  are  the  most  agreeable  kind  to 
have,"  said  Zoe. 

"I  think  I  shall  go  to-morrow  and  have  a 
peep  at  that  new  relative,  as  well  as  a  chat 
with  her  parents,"  said  Walter.  "I  dare  say 
they  feel  quite  rich.  But  how  funny  to  think 
of  the  captain  and  Vi  as  grandpa  and  grand 
ma.  But,  of  course,  Vi  isn't  really  that,  and 
nobody  will  think  of  calling  her  so." 

"She  called  herself  that,"  said  Zoe,  "but 
certainly  it  seems  quite  ridiculous.  They 
will  all  be  sorry,  as  we  are,  that  you  were  not 
here  to-day  to  take  part  in  our  reception," 
she  added;  "but  if  you  would  like  to  speak 
to  any  of  them  now,  you  know  you  can  use  the 
'phone." 

"Thanks,"  returned  Walter,  "but  I  believe 
I  should  prefer  to  give  them  a  rousing  sur 
prise  to-morrow  by  just  walking  in  on  them." 

"I  think  that  the  better  plan,"  said  his 
grandfather  approvingly. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         221 

"And  perhaps  I  can  persuade  my  mother 
to  go  along,"  added  Walter,  looking  smilingly 
at  her. 

"If  you  get  Herbert  or  Harold  to  prescribe 
the  ride — or  walk ;  which  is  it  to  be  ? — I  will 
go,  expecting  benefit  from  so  doing,"  she  re 
sponded  in  mirthful  tone. 

"Harold!"  exclaimed  Walter.  "By  the 
way,  where  is  he  ?  Visiting  some  desperate 
ly  sick  patient  ?  I  know  that's  often  the  case 
when  he  fails  to  adorn  the  family  circle." 

"No,"  said  Herbert;  "at  present  he  is 
dancing  attendance  on  Grace  Raymond,  his 
adored  ladylove." 

Walter  laughed  and  said :  "Ah,  yes,  that's 
all  right ;  Grace  is  a  dear,  sweet  girl — a  beau 
ty,  too ;  and  except  for  the  odd  mixing  up  of 
relationships  and  the  fact  that  she  is  delicate, 
I  should  be  delighted  with  the  prospective 
match." 

"I  also,"  said  his  mother.  "I  am  very  fond 
of  Grace ;  have  loved  her  ever  since  my  first 
sight  of  her  sweet  face.  I  can  see  that  she 
loves  Harold  dearly,  yet  is  perfectly  submis- 


222          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

sive  to  her  father's  will  in  regard  to  the  time 
of  their  marriage.  Nor  does  Harold  rebel, 
though  it  is  plain  to  be  seen  that  he  longs 
for  the  time  when  he  may  claim  her  as  his 
very  own." 

"Yes,  mother.  Well,  I  hope  he  will  pre 
scribe  early  retirement  for  his  ladylove  to 
night  and  hasten  home  to  greet  his  youngest 
brother,  whom  he  has  not  seen  for  nearly  a 
year." 

"I  presume  he  has  done  so;  for  here  he 
comes  now,  walking  up  the  avenue,"  ex 
claimed  Herbert,  glancing  in  that  direction. 

At  that  Walter  sprang  to  his  feet  and  has 
tened  forward  to  meet  Harold  as  he  came  up 
the  veranda  steps. 

"Howdy' do,  doctor?"  he  cried  with  a 
pleasant  laugh.  "I  hope  you've  left  that 
pretty  patient  of  yours  doing  well." 

"Why,  Walter,  my  man,  I'm  glad  to  see 
you  and  know  that,  young  as  you  are,  you've 
travelled  home  safely  by  yourself,"  responded 
Harold,  reaching  the  top  step  and  grasping 
heartily  the  hand  held  out  to  him. 


ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONES         223 

"How  do  you  know  that  I  travelled  by  my 
self  ?"  laughed  Walter.  "Are  you  quite  sure 
I  may  not  have  a  ladylove  and  future  father- 
in-law  as  well  as  yourself  2" 

"Yes,  my  little  man;  for  if  you  had  I 
should  certainly  have  learned  it  before  this, 
since  my  youngest  brother  has  always  been 
communicative  to  me," 

"Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,  laddie,"  laughed 
Walter.  "But  come  along  now  and  join  the 
family  circle,  which,  with  you  in  it,  will  be 
quite  complete." 

"So  you  are  here  again,  Harold,"  said  his 
grandfather,  as  they  seated  themselves. 
"How  did  you  and  the  Raymonds  find  mat 
ters  at  Woodburn  $" 

"Everything  in  perfect  order,  sir ;  at  least, 
so  far  as  I  could  tell,  and  all  seemed  entirely 
satisfied  and  full  of  delight  that  they  had  at 
last  reached  their  home." 

"That  is  pleasant  news.  I  suppose  you 
didn't  go  on  to  Sunnyside  f 

tcNo,  sir ;  I  reserved  that  pleasant  visit  for 
to-morrow." 


224         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Oh,"  said  Walter,  "Chester  and  Lu,  Max 
and  Eva  are  at  home  now,  I  suppose;  and 
I'm  told  the  latter  couple  rejoice  in  owning  a 
beauty  of  a  baby." 

"Yes,  she  is  a  beauty,  I  think,"  said  Har 
old;  "as  sweet  a  little  creature  as  ever  I 
saw." 

"That's  pretty  strong,  coming  from  an  old 
bach,  isn't  it  ?"  laughed  Walter. 

"Hardly  at  an  age  to  be  reasonably  called 
old,  Walter,"  remonstrated  their  mother 
gently,  and  with  a  smile. 

"It  seems  quite  well,  from  a  business  point 
of  view,  for  a  doctor  to  be  considered  old — or 
at  least  not  very  young,  mother,"  said  Harold 
pleasantly,  and  with  a  smile. 

"Most  people  are  more  ready  to  trust  them 
selves  and  dear  ones  to  the  treatment  of  a  phy 
sician  who  has  had  some  experience  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  than  to  one  whose 
youth  proves  him  to  be  but  a  beginner." 

"Quite  true,  Harold,  and  very  sensible  in 
those  who  act  upon  that  principle,"  remarked 
his  grandfather. 


CHAPTEK  XVIII 

"!T  is  a  lovely  morning,  one  of  October's 
fairest  days!"  exclaimed  Lucilla,  glancing 
from  the  window  of  her  dressing-room  on  the 
day  after  their  home-coming  from  their  re 
cent  sojourn  upon  the  banks  of  the  Hudson. 
"Oh,  Chester,  my  dear,  I  wish  you  could  just 
stay  at  home  and  spend  the  day  with  me !" 

"It  would  be  very  pleasant  to  do  so,  my 
love,"  he  returned,  "but  business  forbids; 
and  besides,"  he  added  laughingly,  "I  feel 
very  sure  you  would  not  be  content  to  really 
stay  at  home  all  day." 

"No,"  she  returned  in  mirthful  tone,  "but 
Woodburn  seems  to  me  only  a  part  of  my 
home — holding  my  dear  father  and  the  other 
loved  ones — and  I  cannot  be  content  to  re 
frain  from  spending  a  part  of  every  day  with 
them,  or  from  having  them  spend  a  part  here 
with  me." 

"Yes,  dearest,  I  fully  understand,  and  re- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

joice  that  you  have  their  loved  companionship 
when  I  must  be  away  from  home,  so  that  you 
might  be  lonely  indeed  without  them/'  re 
turned  Chester.  He  came  close  to  her  side 
and  put  an  arm  about  her  as  he  spoke. 

"My  dear  husband/'  she  murmured  low 
and  softly,  "your  companionship  has  become 
more  and  sweeter  to  me  than  any  or  all  other, 
even  that  of  my  dear  father." 

"Oh,  thank  you  for  those  sweet  words, 
dearest/'  he  returned  with  emotion.  "Ah,  I 
esteem  myself  a  very  fortunate  man  in  hav 
ing  such  a  wife.  But  it  grows  late  and  I 
must  hasten  with  my  preparations,  for  break 
fast  first  and  business  after." 

"Do,  my  dear.  I  am  just  ready  to  go 
down,  and  I  think  the  call  to  breakfast  will 
soon  follow  my  entrance  into  the  dining- 
room." 

She  met  Max  in  the  hall,  and  they  ex 
changed  a  pleasant  morning  greeting. 

"How  are  wife  and  baby  ?"  she  asked. 

"They  seem  to  be  well,  bright  and  happy." 

"And  you  are  looking  so." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         227 

"Look  as  I  feel,  then,  when  I  can  refrain 
from  thinking  of  Uncle  Sam's  coming  or 
ders,"  he  returned  with  a  rather  rueful  smile. 

"Oh,  dear !  I'd  break  loose  from  that  old 
uncle  if  I  were  you.  Won't  you  and  Eva 
come  in  and  breakfast  with  us  ?" 

"No,  thank  you;  we  were  with  you  last 
night,  you  know,  so  it's  your  turn  to  come  to 
us.  Take  your  breakfast  with  us  this  morn 
ing,  you  and  Chester,  won't  you  ?" 

"Thank  you,  but  Chester  is  so  hurried  in 
the  mornings.  I  think  he  would  prefer  to 
join  you  at  tea  some  of  these  evenings." 

"Ah,  yes,  that  will  be  better.  And  there ! 
both  breakfast  bells  are  ringing." 

Those  sounds  brought  both  Evelyn  and 
Chester  into  the  hall.  Morning  greetings 
were  exchanged  with  them  and  the  four  de 
scended  to  their  breakfast  rooms. 

Chester  did  not  linger  over  his  breakfast, 
but  Max  and  Eva  ate  leisurely,  as  there  was 
no  necessity  for  haste  with  either  of  them  at 
that  time. 

Lucilla  saw  her  husband  on  his  way,  re- 


228          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

turned  to  the  table,  finished  her  breakfast, 
had  a  pleasant  little  stroll  about  the  grounds 
with  her  father,  then  returned  to  the  house 
and  found  them,  baby  and  all,  on  the  ver 
anda,  for  it  was  a  bright,  warm  morning. 
Eva  sat  with  the  babe  in  her  arms,  Max  stand 
ing  by  her  side,  gazing  in  the  direction  of 
Woodburn. 

"Why  didn't  father  come  in?"  he  asked, 
his  tone  expressing  disappointment  and  cha 
grin. 

"He  said  it  was  a  little  too  late.  Mamma 
Vi  would  be  ready  for  her  breakfast,  and  he 
could  not  think  of  keeping  her  waiting.  But 
he  thinks  they  will  be  here  in  an  hour  or  so 
and  convoy  us  all  over  there." 

"All  right,  as  father's  plans  always  are," 
returned  Max  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction. 

"Just  as  I  think,"  said  Evelyn ;  "but  I 
doubt  if  we  can  make  a  lengthened  stay,  as 
I  overheard  occasional  remarks  yesterday  at 
Ion  indicating  that  we  would  be  likely  to  re 
ceive  a  number  of  calls  from  relatives  and 
friends  to-day." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         229 

"But,"  laughed  Lucilla,  "they  will  be  call 
ing  upon  the  Woodburn  folks,  too,  and  it  will 
be  to  them  a  saving  of  time  and  trouble  to  find 
us  all  in  one  house." 

"So  it  will,"  responded  Max  in  laughing 
tone,  "and  I  hope  they  will  appreciate  our 
kindness  in  so  evidently  consulting  their  con 
venience  in  regard  to  the  matter." 

"Ah,  how  sweet  our  little  darling  looks  this 
morning!"  exclaimed  Lucilla,  stepping  to 
Evelyn's  side  and  bending  over  the  little  one. 
"Precious  pet,  Aunt  Lu  loves  to  look  at 
you." 

"Tell  Aunt  Lu  you  will  look  much  sweeter 
when  you  have  had  your  bath  and  are  dressed 
for  the  day,"  said  Evelyn,  and  the  child 
seemed  to  answer : 

"Let  me  have  it  soon,  mamma,  before  my 
dear  grandpa  sees  me." 

"Yes,  so  you  shall,"  Eva  replied,  with  a 
laughing  look  at  her  husband.  "Baby  dear, 
you  should  appreciate  the  blessing  of  having 
a  father  who  can  talk  for  you  until  you  can 
do  it  for  yourself.  Now,"  she  added,  rising 


230         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

with  the  child  in  her  arms,  "we  will  go  and 
make  the  contemplated  improvements." 

"And  I  to  attend  to  household  affairs," 
added  Lucilla,  and  they  passed  into  the  en 
trance  hall  together. 

The  families  at  Woodburn  and  Ion  sat 
down  to  their  breakfast  at  very  nearly  the 
same  time.  At  both  places  all  were  well  and 
in  good  spirits,  and  as  a  consequence  the  chat 
was  lively  and  pleasant. 

"What  a  lovely  morning,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Dinsmore.  "This  is  one  of  our  delicious  Oc 
tober  days." 

"Yes,  and  quite  a  good  deal  of  it  would  be 
properly  spent  in  walking  and  driving,"  said 
her  husband.  "Shall  I  take  you  and  Elsie 
over  to  Woodburn  and  Sunnyside  ?" 

"You  may  take  me  in  either  way  that  suits 
you  best,"  she  returned  with  a  pleased  smile. 

"And  you,  Elsie  ?"  he  asked. 

"Thank  you,  father,"  she  said,  her  tone 
and  look  indicating  a  grateful  appreciation 
of  his  kindness  in  giving  the  invitation.  "I 
last  evening  accepted  an  invitation  from  Wai- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         231 

ter;  but  we  might  make  up  a  family  party 
and  all  go.  'The  more  the  merrier/  as  I  am 
sure  the  Woodburn  folk  will  think." 

"Oh,  do,  do !  Let  us  all  go !"  cried  little 
Lily.  "I  want  to  see  the  monkeys  again." 

At  that  everybody  laughed,  and  Grandpa 
Dinsmore  said: 

"Very  well,  you  can  visit  the  monkeys,  and 
the  rest  of  us  our  relatives." 

Lily  hung  her  head  and  blushed. 

"I  didn't  mean  I  cared  more  about  the 
monkeys  than  about  aunt  and  uncle  and  the 
cousins,  for  I  don't." 

"No,  dear,  we  all  understand  that,"  said 
Grandma  Elsie  soothingly ;  "the  monkeys  are 
not  the  principal  attraction,  but  merely  an 
additional  one." 

"Yes,  ma'am,"  returned  the  child  with  a 
relieved  sigh.  "I  don't  want  anybody  to 
think  I  don't  love  Aunt  Vi  and  uncle  and  the 
rest,  because  I  do;  but  the  monkeys  are  the 
funniest." 

"Of  course,  they  are,"  said  her  Uncle  Her 
bert  ;  "and  who  doesn't  like  fun  ?" 


232          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

"I  know  of  no  one  in  this  house  who  objects 
to  it  in  the  right  time  and  place,"  remarked 
her  father,  bestowing  a  reassuring  smile  upon 
the  little  girl. 

"We  seem  likely  to  have  a  gay  time  while 
our  young  naval  officer  remains  in  the  neigh 
borhood,"  remarked  Mr.  Dinsmore. 

"Yes,  sir,"  said  Edward ;  "so  I  understand, 
and  I  hope  they — the  various  parties  planned 
• — may  prove  enjoyable." 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will,  my  dear," 
said  Zoe. 

"I  hope  they  will  be  in  the  daytime,  so 
that  we  children  can  go,"  said  Lily. 

"But  even  if  they  do,  the  monkeys  will 
surely  not  be  present  at  all  of  them,"  re 
marked  Walter  gravely. 

"But  I'm  not  a  monkey,  Uncle  Walter," 
she  returned  in  a  slightly  resentful  tone. 
"You  wouldn't  have  me  for  your  niece  if  I 
was." 

"No;  and  you  haven't  the  least  look  like 
one.  So  if  you  can  do  without  their  com- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         233 

panionship,  I  hope  you  will  be  permitted  to 
go  to  all  the  parties  talked  of." 

"If  she  is  a  good  girl  she  shall  go  to  all 
the  parties  she's  invited  to;  all  the  daytime 
ones  in  the  connection,  I  mean,"  said  her 
mother. 

"Oh,  thank  you,  mamma !"  exclaimed  the 
little  girl;  "and  I  may  go  to-day  with  you 
and  papa,  may  I?" 

"You  shall  go  somehow  and  with  some 
body;  we  will  get  it  all  arranged  presently. 
There  are  conveyances  enough  for  all  to  ride 
if  they  wish,  and  it  is  a  delightful  day  for 
walking  so  short  a  distance  if  any  one  pre 
fers  to  do  that." 

Some  did  prefer  it,  and  in  a  few  moments 
their  plans  in  regard  to  that  were  all  ar 
ranged. 

In  the  meantime  Lucilla  had  made  her 
housekeeping  arrangements  and  toilet  for  the 
day,  the  next-door  neighbors  had  done  like 
wise,  the  baby,  beautifully  attired,  was  sleep 
ing  in  her  carriage,  which  Max  was  proud  to 


234         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

draw  with  his  own  hands,  and  they  set  out  oil 
their  trip  across  the  lawn  to  Woodburn. 

They  received  a  joyous  welcome  there,  and 
were  told  they  were  just  in  time  to  prevent 
the  call  from  being  made  in  the  other  direc 
tion. 

"We  were  just  about  to  start  for  Sunny- 
side/'  said  Violet,  "for  we  were  all  hungry 
for  a  sight  of  my  little  granddaughter." 

"Oh,  mamma,  she  isn't  that,  and  you  don't 
look  a  bit  like  a  grandmother !"  exclaimed 
Elsie. 

"I'm  her  own  grandfather's  wife,"  laughed 
Violet,  "and  what's  my  husband's  is  mine 
also.  Isn't  it,  my  dear?"  turning  to  him 
with  a  pleased  little  laugh. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "I  consider  you  as  hav 
ing  a  right  to  a  share  in  all  my  posses 
sions." 

"That's  nice  and  kind  in  you,  papa,"  said 
Elsie,  "but  I  don't  like  my  pretty  young 
mamma  to  be  thought  old;  and  folks  will 
think  so  if  she's  called  grandma." 

"Well,  daughter,  I  should  think  a  sight  of 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         235 

her  face  would  convince  anybody  of  the  ab 
surdity  of  that,"  the  captain  said,  drawing 
Elsie  to  his  side  and  smoothing  her  hair  ca 
ressingly.  Then  bending  over  the  babe,  which 
was  waking,  he  said  caressingly :  "Grandpa's 
pretty  pet!  the  first  grandchild,  sweet  and 
beautiful  as  a  lily  or  a  rose." 

At  that  she  looked  up  into  his  face  and 
cooed. 

"That's  a  pretty  reply  to  grandpa,  baby 
darling,"  he  said,  softly  touching  her  cheek 
with  his  lips. 

Then  she  seemed  to  speak : 

"I  love  you,  my  dear  grandpa." 

"Oh,  that's  nice  for  her  to  say,"  cried  El 
sie,  clapping  her  hands  and  laughing  mer 
rily  ;  "and  I  do  believe  she  does,  papa,  for  see 
how  sweetly  she  looks  at  you.  Oh,  I  think 
she's  just  the  dearest,  prettiest  baby  that  ever 
was  made." 

"That's  rather  strong,  isn't  it?"  laughed 
Max ;  "but  you  are  young  and  have  seen  com 
paratively  few  of  her  age." 

"I  really  think  a  brighter  or  prettier  one 


236          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

would  be  hard  to  find,"  said  her  grand 
father. 

"And  it  wouldn't  be  worth  her  father's 
while  to  pretend  to  disagree  with  me,"  he 
added,  glancing  at  Max  with  a  twinkle  of 
fun  in  his  eye. 

"We  are  not  disposed  to  contradict  you, 
father,"  Evelyn  said  with  a  smile,  "but  per 
haps  it  is  partly  because  she  is  our  very  own 
that  she  looks  so  pretty  to  us." 

"Oh,  there  are  some  folks  coming  up  the 
driveway !"  exclaimed  Ned.  "Why,  they  are 
grandma  and  Uncle  Herbert  and — Uncle 
Walter,  I  do  believe !" 

"And  I  think  you  are  right,"  said  his 
father,  then  hurried  forth  to  meet  and  wel 
come  the  approaching  guests.  Violet  fol 
lowed  closely  in  his  footsteps,  the  others  a  lit 
tle  more  slowly. 

Warm  greetings  were  exchanged,  then 
came  a  gathering  about  the  carriage,  and  Eve 
lyn  and  Max  were  gratified  by  hearing 
Walter  say  he  really  thought  it  the  prettiest 
young  baby  he  had  ever  seen. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         237 

"And  so  far  she's  as  good  as  she  is  pretty," 
said  Lucilla;  "a  bit  bairnie  to  be  proud 
of." 

"There's  nobody  here  who  will  contradict 
you  in  that/'  said  Violet,  gazing  admiringly 
upon  the  sweet  baby  face. 

"She  seems  a  fortunate  little  one — has 
come  to  the  right  place,  I  think,"  remarked 
Herbert. 

"Yes,  the  right  place  to  be  loved  and  pet 
ted,"  said  Violet.  "I  suppose  partly  because 
we  have  had  no  baby  among  us  for  some 
years." 

"I'm  glad  we  have  one  now,  and  that  she's 
my  little  niece,  the  dearest,  prettiest  baby  in 
the  land!"  cried  Elsie,  bending  over  the 
child  and  regarding  it  with  loving  admira 
tion. 

"Where's  Harold  ?"  asked  Violet.  "I  won 
der  he  didn't  come  with  his  mother  and  broth 
ers." 

"Gone  to  visit  some  patients  who  have  been 
longing  for  his  return,"  replied  Herbert; 
adding  laughingly :  "They  actually  appear  to 


238          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

think  him  a  better  physician  than  either  Cou 
sin  Arthur  or  myself.  I  presume  he  will  be 
in  after  a  little,  though.  And  yonder,  I  see, 
come  grandpa  and  grandma,  with  Ed  and  his 
family." 

"Ah,  that  is  well/'  said  the  captain;  "the 
more  the  merrier." 

The  new  arrivals  met  a  hearty  welcome, 
spent  a  delightful  half  hour,  then  returned 
to  Ion ;  but  had  scarcely  left  Woodburn  when 
a  servant  came  to  tell  the  Sunnyside  folk  that 
callers  were  there  awaiting  the  return  of  its 
owners. 

"Who  are  they  ?"  asked  Max. 

"The  folks  from  the  Oaks  and  Beech- 
wood,"  was  the  reply. 

"Oh,  just  our  own  connections,"  said  Lu- 
cilla;  "so,  father,  you,  Grandma  Elsie, 
Mamma  Vi  and  the  rest,  you  will  accompany 
•us,  won't  you  ?  I  think  it  would  be  pleasant 
for  us  all." 

Evelyn  and  Max  added  their  urgent  invi 
tation,  and  all  accepted  except  Herbert,  who 
excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  there 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         239 

were  patients  whom  he  ought  to  call  upon 
promptly. 

Max  and  his  wife  and  sister  found  their 
callers  seated  upon  the  veranda  at  Sunnyside, 
enjoying  a  view  of  the  beautiful  grounds,  and 
chatting  cosily  together  while  awaiting  their 
coming. 

Cordial  greetings  were  exchanged,  the  baby 
was  noticed  and  admired,  and  some  one 
asked  if  she  could  still  talk  as  well  as  she  did 
yesterday. 

"Can't  you,  my  pet?"  asked  her  father, 
leaning  over  her,  and  an  answer  seemed  to 
come  from  her  lips: 

"I'll  try,  papa,  if  you  will  help  me." 

"I  really  think  she  can  talk  now  quite  as 
well  as  she  did  yesterday,"  Max  said  with 
becoming  gravity. 

"And  I  presume  she  will  be  able  to  when 
ever  her  father  is  with  her,"  laughed  Violet. 

"And  when  he  is  gone,  perhaps  she  may 
succeed  when  Cousin  Konald  is  by,"  said  the 
captain.  "I  shall  certainly  not  be  surprised 
if  she  does." 


240          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"It  probably  will  not  be  so  very  long  before 
she  can  use  her  own  tongue,"  said  Mr.  Lil- 
burn. 

"And  we  will  hope  she  will  use  it  aright  as 
she  grows  up  to  girlhood,  and  then  to  woman 
hood,"  remarked  her  grandfather,  gazing  af 
fectionately  upon  the  little  one  now  nestling 
in  her  mother's  arms. 

"Your  first  grandchild,  is  it  not,  sir?" 
asked  Mr.  Lilburn,  addressing  the  captain. 

"Yes,"  he  replied,  "and  her  coming  has 
given  me  some  serious  thoughts  about  my  in 
creasing  years.  I  believe  I  am  growing  an 
old  man." 

"Not  so  very,"  laughed  Cousin  Ronald, 
shaking  his  head.  "I  have  been  a -grand- 
sire  for  years,  and  when  I  began  the  business 
I  was  older  than  you  are  now." 

"And  to  me  he  doesn't  seem  so  very  old 
even  yet,"  Annis  said  with  an  affectionate 
smile. 

"That  sounds  pleasant,  coming  from  the 
lips  of  my  bonny  young  wife,"  Mr.  Lilburn 
said,  returning  her  smile. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         241 

There  was  a  momentary  silence,  then  the 
old  gentleman  went  on  in  a  meditative 
tone: 

"Life  in  this  world  has  many  blessings  and 
many  trials,  but  the  Bible  tells  us,  'As  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be/  and  in  my  ex 
perience  that  promise  has  been  fulfilled  many, 
many  times.  Friends,  the  day  after  to-mor 
row  is  the  Sabbath.  Suppose  we  meet  to 
gether,  as  we  were  wont  to  do  in  the  past,  and 
have  'strength'  as  the  subject  for  the  Bible 
lesson,  I  invite  you  all  to  come  to  Beech- 
wood  for  that  purpose." 

"Thank  you,  sir,"  said  Captain  Raymond, 
speaking  for  all,  "but  allow  me  to  offer  Wood- 
burn  as  the  place  for  meeting,  it  be 
ing  more  central  and — so  near  this — better 
suited  to  the  entertainment  of  my  little  grand 
daughter,  whose  parents  would  hardly  like  to 
go  leaving  her  behind." 

Cousin  Ronald  laughed  at  that. 

"!No ;  and  that  would  be  a  bad  lesson  to  be 
gin  her  education  with — the  keepin'  her  oot 
o'  the  Bible  class.  I'm  not  particular  where 


242          ELSIE  AXD  HER  LOVED  ONES 

our  class  shall  meet,  and  Woodburn  will  suit 
me  as  well  as  any  ither  place." 

Just  then  there  were  arrivals  from  Fair- 
view  and  the  Laurels,  which  caused  the  sub 
ject  to  be  dropped  for  the  time.  But  it  was 
taken  up  again  after  a  little,  and  Woodburn 
finally  settled  upon  as  the  place  for  the  next 
Sunday's  Bible  class. 


CHAPTEK  XIX 

THE  fine  weather  continued;  Sunday  was 
bright  and  beautiful — the  woods  gay  with 
autumn  tints,  the  air  balmy  and  sweet  with 
the  scent  of  late  fruits  and  flowers.  The  Ion, 
Fairview,  Roselands,  Beechwood,  Woodburn, 
Sunnyside  and  the  Laurels  people  went  to 
church  in  the  morning,  and  in  the  afternoon 
most  of  them  gathered  at  Woodburn  to  spend 
an  hour  in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  Mr.  Ron 
ald  Lilburn  being  the  leader  of  the  class. 

"Our  subject  to-day,"  he  said,  "is  the 
strength  the  Lord  promises  and  gives  to  His 
people — His  own  loved  ones,  His  servants,  in 
their  hours  of  need.  'As  thy  days,  so  shall 
thy  strength  be.'  Captain  Raymond,  can  you 
bring  to  our  attention  any  other  promise  of 
strength  as  it  is  needed  ?" 

"Yes,"  replied  the  captain;  "here  in  the 


244          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

fortieth  chapter  of  Isaiah  we  read :  'Hast  thou 
not  .known  ?  Hast  thou  not  heard  that 
the  everlasting  God,  the  Lord,  the  Cre 
ator  of  the  ends  of  the  earth,  fainteth  not, 
neither  is  weary  ?  There  is  no  searching  of 
His  understanding.  He  giveth  power  to  the 
faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might  He  in- 
creaseth  strength.  Even  the  youths  shall 
faint  and  be  weary,  and  the  young  men  shall 
utterly  fall :  but  they  that  wait  upon  the  Lord 
shall  renew  their  strength ;  they  shall  mount 
up  with  wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run  and 
not  be  weary;  and  they  shall  walk  and  not 
faint.'  " 

"A  most  beautiful  passage,"  said  Mr.  Lil- 
burn,  "and  now,  friends,  I  think  each  one  of 
you  has  one  or  more  passages  selected ;  please 
read  aloud  in  turn  as  you  sit,  without  waiting 
to  be  called  upon." 

Violet's  turn  came  next,  as  she  sat  beside 
her  husband,  and  she  read :  "I  will  love  Thee, 
O  Lord,  my  strength.  The  Lord  is  my  rock, 
and  my  fortress,  and  my  deliverer ;  my  God, 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         245 

my  strength,  in  whom  I  will  trust ;  my  buck 
ler  and  the  horn  of  my  salvation,  and  my 
high  tower." 

Her  mother  sat  next,  and  she  read :  "The 
Lord  is  my  strength,  and  He  will  make  my 
feet  like  hinds'  feet,  and  He  will  make  me  to 
walk  upon  mine  high  places.  .  .  .  This 
day  is  holy  unto  the  Lord:  neither  be  ye 
sorry:  for  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your 
strength." 

Then  Grace  read :  "The  king  shall  joy  in 
thy  strength,  O  Lord;  and  in  thy  salvation 
how  greatly  shall  He  rejoice." 

Then  Lucilla  read:  "Unto  thee,  O  my 
strength,  will  I  sing :  for  God  is  my  defence, 
and  the  God  of  my  mercy." 

"Seek  the  Lord  and  His  strength :  seek  His 
face  evermore,"  read  little  Elsie. 

Then  Harold :  "I  can  do  all  things  through 
Christ  who  strengtheneth  me." 

Then  Herbert :  "Trust  ye  in  the  Lord  for 
ever;  for  in  the  Lord,  JEHOVAH,  is  ever 
lasting  strength." 


246          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Then  Max:  "Let  him  take  hold  of  any 
strength,  that  he  may  make  peace  with  Me; 
and  he  shall  make  peace  with  Me." 

Then  Evelyn:  "Strengthened  with  all 
might,  according  to  His  glorious  power,  tinto 
all  patience  and  long  suffering  with  joyful- 
ness." 

The  others  said  their  selected  texts  had 
been  read. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause,  then  Mr.  Lil- 
burn  said: 

"I  think  it  altogether  likely  that  every  one 
present  who  has  gone  past  the  meridian  of 
life  could  tell  of  personal  experience  of  the 
fulfilment  to  her  or  himself  of  that  gracious, 
precious  promise,  'As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy 
strength  be,'  and  I,  for  one,  should  be  very 
glad  to  hear  their  testimony  to  our  Heavenly 
Father's  faithfulness  to  His  promise. 

A  moment's  silence,  then  the  captain  said : 

"And  you,  Cousin  Ronald,  being  the  eld 
est  and  our  chosen  leader,  might  well  be  the 
first  with  your  story  of  the  Lord's  goodness 
to  you,  and  faithfulness  to  His  promises." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         247 

"I  am  entirely  willing,"  the  old  gentleman 
returned  pleasantly.  "The  Lord  has  been  ex 
ceedingly  good  to  me  through  all  the  years  of 
my  life.  I  have  had  very  many  troubles, 
trials  and  difficulties,  but  His  grace  and  the 
many  great  and  precious  promises  of  His 
Word  have  helped  me  through  them  all.  I 
have  seen  the  grave  close  over  wife,  children, 
parents  and  friends,  but  have  been  sustained 
under  the  sore  trial  by  the  glad  hope  of  meet 
ing  them  all  in  that  better  land  where  there  is 
no  more  death,  no  sin,  no  parting,  but  all  is 
righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  forevermore. 

"And  even  in  this  world  the  Lord  has  given 
me  much  to  repair  my  losses  and  renew  the 
joys  of  my  younger  days,"  he  added  with  a 
very  loving  look  and  smile  directed  to  Annis. 

She  returned  the  smile  and  spoke  in  low, 
pleasing  tones : 

"I,  too,  have  had  some  sore  trials,  and  can 
testify  to  the  Lord's  faithfulness  to  His  prom 
ise,  'As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.' 
Years  ago  my  heart  was  torn  with  grief  over 
the  deaths  of  parents,  brothers,  sisters  and 


248          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

other  dear  ones.  There  have  been  other  trials 
also,  but  the  Lord's  promise  has  never  failed. 
He  has  brought  me  safely  through  them  all, 
and  is  making  my  later  days  my  best  days — 
full  of  peace,  comfort  and  happiness." 

It  was  now  Mrs.  Elsie  Travilla's  turn,  as 
she  sat  next  to  her  Cousin  Annis.  She  spoke 
in  low,  sweet  tones,  distinctly  audible  in  the 
quiet  of  the  room : 

"I  give  my  testimony  to  the  Lord's  faith 
fulness  to  that  gracious  promise,  'As  thy 
days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.'  I  never  knew 
a  mother's  love  and  care,  for  mine  died  when 
I  had  been  but  a  few  days  in  this  world ;  and 
my  father  was  so  far  away  that  it  seemed 
much  as  if  I  had  none.  But  I  was  in  the 
care  of  those  who  taught  me  of  Jesus  and  His 
love  as  soon  as  I  could  understand  the  mean 
ing  of  the  words ;  and  while  yet  a  very  little 
child  I  learned  to  know  and  love  Him.  I 
loved  my  home,  too,  and  it  was  a  sore  trial  to 
be  brought  away  from  it.  Then,  when  I  first 
saw  my  father  and  perceived  that  he  did  not 
care  for  me,  my  heart  was  almost  broken  and 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         249 

only  the  love  of  Jesus  helped  me  to  bear 
it. 

"That  trial  was  soon  happily  over;  but 
later  in  life  sore  bereavement  came,  the  near 
est  and  dearest  being  called  away  from  earth. 
But  even  then  strength  was  given  me  accord 
ing  to  my  day;  and  while  grieving  for  my 
self,  I  could  rejoice  for  them.  And  these 
later  days  are,  oh,  so  full  of  peace  and  joy 
and  love !" 

Harold  sat  near  his  mother,  and  was  the 
next  to  speak: 

"I  have  as  yet  seen  no  very  great  trials, 
but  in  going  into  the  recent  war  with  Spain  I 
felt  that  I  was  risking  life  and  limb ;  but  the 
Lord  sustained  me  with  the  thought  that  I 
was  doing  so  for  the  sake  of  oppressed  and 
suffering  fellow-creatures,  and  with  that 
thought  came  strength  according  to  my  day." 

"And  my  experience  was  the  same,"  added 
Herbert. 

"Mine  also,"  said  Max.  "When  we  went 
into  the  fight  at  Manila  I  feared  wounds  and 
death,  but  I  knew  we  were  in  the  right — fight- 


250          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

ing  to  free  the  downtrodden  and  sorely  op 
pressed,  and,  knowing  that  the  Lord  had  the 
disposal  of  it  all,  I  had  strength  given  me  ac 
cording  to  my  day.  Now  you,  dearest,"  he 
added  in  an  undertone  to  his  wife. 

Eva  said  in  low,  gentle  tones : 

"I  have  seen  sorrow,  losing  my  dear,  pas 
sionately  loved  father  before  I  had  grown  to 
womanhood;  but  my  strength  was  according 
to  my  day,  the  Lord  comforting  me  with  His 
love,  and  as  wife  and  mother,  and  having  a 
kind  father,  brothers,  sisters  and  friends,  I 
am  now  a  very  happy  woman,  indeed." 

A  slight  pause,  then  Captain  Eaymond 
spoke. 

"I  have  had  many,  many  blessings  and 
some  trials  also.  My  dear  father  died  when 
I  was  a  young  lad,  my  best  of  mothers  when  I 
had  scarcely  more  than  reached  man's  estate ; 
brother  and  sisters  had  gone  from  earth  also, 
and  I  was  left  alone,  with  small  means,  but 
good  health.  I  was  still  quite  a  young  man 
when  I  met  a  sweet  young  girl  who  had  been, 
like  myself,  bereft  of  all  her  nearest  relatives. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         251 

We  loved  and  married,  but  I  had  to  leave  her 
often,  sometimes  for  long  intervals,  for  the 
duties  of  my  profession.  We  were  very  hap 
py  when  together,  but  in  a  few  years  she  left 
this  world  for  a  better,  and  the  three  chil 
dren  God  had  given  us  to  my  sole  care,  though 
I  had  to  be  away  most  of  the  time  upon  the 
sea.  I  have  since  found  one  to  take  her  place 
— one  as  dear  and  loving  as  she  was  herself," 
he  added  with  a  look  and  smile  directed  to 
Violet  that  thrilled  her  heart  with  joy  and 
love. 

It  was  her  turn  now,  and  she  began  at  once : 
"I  have  had  a  peaceful,  happy  life,  both  as 
a  young  girl  and  as  a  married  woman,  though 
some  deep  sorrows  came  to  me  years  ago; 
first  the  death  of  a  darling  younger  sister, 
then  that  of  the  best  and  dearest  father  that 
ever  lived."  Her  voice  trembled  with  emo 
tion,  but  she  went  on.  "But  then  in  those  sad 
hours  was  fulfilled  to  me  that  precious  prom 
ise,  'As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be;' 
and  though  I  feel  it  to  be  only  reasonable  to 
expect  other  and  greater  trials  in  the  future, 


253          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

I  can  trust  my  Heavenly  Father  to  fulfil  it  to 
me  again  and  again  till  I  reach  that  blessed 
land  where  there  is  no  more  sin  or  sorrow  or 
suffering." 

No  one  else  in  the  room  made  any  length 
ened  response  to  the  invitation  to  tell  of  the 
fulfilment  to  them  of  the  gracious  promise 
"As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength  be,"  mere 
ly  saying  that  they  believed  it  and  trusted  in 
it  for  the  future,  but  as  yet  had  had  no  very 
great  trials. 

Then  Violet  went  to  her  organ,  played  a 
short  prelude  and  began  singing  a  hymn,  in 
which  all  joined: 

"In  every  condition,  in  sickness,  in  health, 
In  poverty's  vale,  or  abounding  in  wealth, 
At  home  or  abroad,  on  the  land,  on  the  sea, 
As    thy    days    may    demand    shall    thy    strength 
ever  be." 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  whole  connection  seemed  filled  with  a 
desire  to  entertain  their  returned  travellers, 
especially  Max,  whose  present  stay  among 
them  would  be  but  short.  And  that  the  baby 
might  accompany  its  parents,  the  gathering 
together  of  the  relatives  and  friends  was  al 
ways  in  the  afternoon. 

On  Monday  they  took  dinner  and  spent 
the  afternoon  at  the  Laurels,  on  Tuesday  at 
the  Oaks,  Wednesday  at  Roselands,  Thurs 
day  at  Beechwood,  and  there  the  younger 
ones  had  great  sport,  Cousin  Ronald  and  Max 
helping  them. 

They  were  all  on  the  veranda  after  dinner, 
chatting  pleasantly  among  themselves,  when 
Ned  exclaimed: 

"Oh,  let's  have  some  fun  on  the  lawn !  We 
may  play  there,  mayn't  we,  Cousin  Ronald  I" 


254         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONE8 

"You  may,  Cousin  Ned,"  answered  the  old 
gentleman  with  a  pleased  smile,  "and  may 
hap  I'll  tak'  a  turn  wi'  ye,  if  I'm  not  deemed 
sae  auld  as  to  spoil  the  sport." 

"Oh,  I  think  it  would  be  fun  for  us  to  have 
you  with  us,  sir!"  cried  Ned.  "Now,  how 
many  of  you  boys  and  girls  would  like  to  join 
in  a  game  of  'I  spy'  ?" 

In  reply  to  that  query  all  the  children  pres 
ent  immediately  expressed  a  desire  to  take 
part  in  the  game,  and  they  promptly  ad 
journed  to  the  grounds.  All  were  familiar 
with  the  game. 

"Now  who  shall  be  the  one  to  hide  his 
eyes  ?"  asked  Ned,  his  look  and  tone  of  voice 
showing  a  desire  to  fill  the  position  himself. 

That  was  evident  to  the  others,  and  two 
or  three  of  the  cousins  said  at  once : 

"You,  Ned ;  you'll  do  as  well  as  any  other." 

So,  the  base  being  chosen,  Ned  covered  his 
eyes  and  the  others  scattered  and  hid  behind 
bushes,  trees  and  summer  houses.  Then  from 
every  direction  came  the  cry  "All  Ready!" 
and  Ned's  eyes  were  instantly  uncovered  and 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          255 

away  he  ran,  looking  about  him  searchingly 
from  side  to  side. 

Presently  catching  a  glimpse  of  a  familiar 
coat  worn  by  his  cousin  Eric  Leland,  "I  spy 
Eric  Leland!"  he  shouted.  "I'll  beat  you 
in  to  base,"  then  turned  and  ran  back  to  the 
chosen  base — the  lower  step  of  the  front  ver 
anda. 

Both  boys  ran  as  fast  as  their  young  legs 
could  carry  them,  but  Ned  reached  the  base 
and  Eric  became  "It." 

Directly  after  these  two  came  all  the  oth 
ers  engaged  in  the  game,  and  just  as  the  last 
one  had  reached  the  goal  there  came  an  angry 
growl,  apparently  from  under  the  veranda. 

"How  dare  you  rude  youngsters  come 
tramping  and  stamping  here  in  this  rude 
way  ?  It's  enough  to  kill  a  man  with  a  head 
ache  like  mine,  and  I  wont  stand  it.  Clear 
out,  every  one  of  you." 

For  a  moment  the  children  seemed  thun 
derstruck,  then  they  began  asking  each  other 
in  awed,  frightened  tones : 

"Who  is  it  ?  and  where  is  he  ?    Is  there  a 


256         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

room  for  him  under  there  ?  and  will  lie  come 
out  and  fight  us  ?" 

Then  all  at  once  Ned,  Elsie  and  the  cou 
sins  from  the  Oaks  and  Fairview  began  to 
laugh. 

"Oh,  it's  Cousin  Ronald  or  Max,  and  we 
needn't  be  a  bit  afraid,"  they  said. 

But  at  that  the  voice  spoke  again: 

"I  a  relation  of  yours  ?  Think  I'd  own  any 
o'  you  for  relations  o'  mine  ?" 

"Yes,  I  do  think  so,"  replied  Ned  stoutly. 
"I  know  you're  either  Cousin  Ronald  or 
Brother  Max,  and  whichever  you  are  I'm  not 
a  bit  afraid  of  you,  because  you're  both  as 
good  and  kind  as  ever  you  can  be." 

"That's  the  way  to  talk,"  replied  the  voice. 
"You  are  a  pretty  good  boy,  I  perceive.  So 
go  on  with  your  play,  and  if  you  don't  make 
a  racket  here  and  hurt  my  head  I'll  not  inter 
fere  with  you." 

"Where  is  your  head,  cousin  or  brother, 
whichever  you  are  ?"  asked  Ned. 

"On  my  shoulders,  saucebox,"  was  the  re 
ply. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         257 

At  that  all  the  children  laughed. 

"That's  funny,"  said  Ned.  "Mine  is  at 
the  top  of  my  neck." 

"Well,  keep  it  there,"  said  the  voice. 
"Now  run  off  to  your  play,  all  o'  ye,  and  leave 
me  in  peace  to  nurse  my  head  and  get  rid  of 
the  ache." 

"Yes,"  said  Ned,  "but  first  I'm  going  to 
look  for  Cousin  Ronald  and  Brother  Max, 
because  I'd  like  to  know  which  has  been  try 
ing  to  cheat  us  and  pretending  to  scold." 

He  straightened  himself  and  looked  ear 
nestly  along  the  veranda  as  he  spoke.  Evi 
dently  the  company  there  had  been  listening 
to  what  was  going  on  and  enjoying  the  sport, 
Cousin  Ronald  and  Max  among  them.  Cap 
tain  Raymond  was  there,  too,  standing  at  the 
top  of  the  steps  and  looking  as  if  he  had  been 
having  a  share  of  the  fun. 

"You  are  having  a  good  deal  of  fun,  aren't 
you,  my  young  friends  ?"  he  asked.  "To  hear 
and  see  it  all  makes  me  rather  hungry  for  a 
share  of  it.  Would  you  object  to  my  joining 
you?" 


258         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Oh,  no!  No,  indeed!"  cried  several 
young  voices.  "Please  come ;  we'll  be  glad  to 
have  you." 

So  the  captain  stepped  down  and  joined 
them. 

That  started  the  older  people.  Not  only 
Mr.  Lilburn  and  Max  hastened  to  join  the 
players,  but  Chester  and  Lucilla,  Dr.  Harold 
and  Grace,  Dr.  Herbert  and  Dr.  Arthur 
Conly. 

They  all  seemed  to  renew  their  youth,  en 
tering  heartily  into  the  sport,  to  the  great  de 
light  of  the  children,  the  two  ventriloquists 
increasing  it  by  the  use  of  their  peculiar  tal 
ent.  Sometimes  the  players  were  surprised 
and  puzzled  by  voices,  unlike  any  of  theirs, 
calling  from  different  quarters,  but  presently 
the  more  knowing  ones  would  give  a  merry 
shout  that  would  open  the  eyes  of  the  others 
to  the  fact  that  it  was  only  a  ventriloquial 
trick  for  their  amusement. 

When  they  grew  tired  of  "I  spy"  other 
games  were  tried  with  success,  and  it  was  only 
as  the  time  for  going  home  drew  near  that 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES          259 

they  ceased  their  sport  and  rejoined  the  older 
members  of  the  party  upon  the  veranda. 

Evelyn  was  sitting  there  with  her  baby  on 
her  knee,  and  many  of  the  children  gathered 
about  her,  saying  they  wanted  a  bit  of  fun 
with  her — the  baby — before  going  home; 
wanted  to  hear  her  talk. 

"But  she  is  too  young  to  talk,"  said  Eve 
lyn  ;  "she  will  hardly  be  able  to  say  anything 
for  months  to  come." 

"Oh,  her  father  can  make  her  talk," 
laughed  Eric ;  "if  he  tells  her  to,  she'll  mind 
him.  Won't  you,  baby  dear  ?" 

"Yes,  I  will.  Babies  ought  to  do  what  their 
papas  tell  them  to." 

The  words  seemed  to  come  from  the  little 
lips,  and  the  children  turned  to  see  if  Max 
was  near.  He  was,  and  smiled  in  response 
to  their  questioning  glances. 

"Doesn't  she  do  pretty  well  for  so  young  a 
talker?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  sir,  with  her  father  to  help  her," 
laughed  Eric.  "But  I'm  afraid  she  won't  be 
able  to  do  so  well  when  you  are  away  on  ship- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

board.  Unless  Cousin  Ronald  is  somewhere 
near,"  he  added,  as  an  after  thought. 

"Yes,  I  like  Cousin  Ronald,"  the  baby 
voice  seemed  to  say. 

"And  you  love  your  aunties,  don't  you?" 
asked  Elsie  Raymond,  leaning  over  her. 

"Yes,  I  love  you  and  all  the  other  ones," 

"And  don't  you  love  your  cousin  doctor, 
who  takes  care  of  you  and  mamma  when  you 
need  him?"  asked  Dr.  Harold,  joining  the 
group. 

"Yes,  indeed !  Will  you  be  my  uncle  some 
day?" 

"I  hope  so,"  laughed  Harold.  "You  will 
make  a  nice  little  niece,  I  think." 

"And  I  think  he  will  be  a  nice  uncle," 
laughed  Grace,  who  was  standing  by  his  side. 

Captain  Raymond,  too,  was  near,  the  baby 
being  as  attractive  to  him  as  to  any  one  else— 
except,  perhaps,  the  parents. 

"1  should  like  to  be  able  to  prove  that  very 
soon,"  said  Harold  with  a  significant  glance 
at  the  captain. 

At  that  Grace  blushed  and  gave  her  father 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         261 

a  loving,  entreating  look  that  seemed  to 
say: 

"Don't  be  angry  with  us,  father  dear.  I 
love  you,  and  we  are  not  rebellious." 

"  'Patient  waiting  no  loss,'  "  he  said  with 
kindly  look  and  smile.  "I  love  my  daughter 
too  well  to  be  in  a  hurry  to  give  her  away." 

"What  will  you  do  when  your  papa  goes 
away  to  his  ship,  baby  ?"  asked  Eric. 

"Stay  at  home  with  mamma,"  was  the  re 
ply,  at  which  the  children  all  laughed. 

But  now  the  carriages  were  at  the  door, 
and  they  must  hasten  to  prepare  for  their 
homeward  drive. 

It  was  but  a  short  one  from  Beechwood  to 
Woodburn,  and  to  that  hospitable  home  went 
not  only  the  immediate  family,  but  the  Sun- 
nyside  folk  also,  Grandma  Elsie  and  her  sons, 
Harold  and  Herbert. 

An  inviting  tea  was  ready  for  them  on 
their  arrival,  and  after  it  they  had  a  de 
lightful  social  evening  together,  music  and 
conversation  making  the  time  pass  very 
ewiftly. 


262          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED   ONES 

But  the  guests  were  all  disposed  to  retire 
to  their  homes  at  a  reasonably  early  hour; 
first,  however,  they  sang  a  hymn  together; 
then  the  captain  read  a  portion  of  Scripture, 
and  led  them  in  a  prayer  full  of  love  and 
gratitude  for  the  numberless  blessings  that 
sweetened  their  lives.  Then  the  good-nights 
were  said  and  the  outsiders  departed  to  their 
homes.  But  there  was  no  sadness  in  the  part 
ings,  for  all  expected  to  meet  again  in  a  few 
hours. 

When  Grace  came  to  her  father  for  the 
usual  good-night  caress  he  took  her  in  his 
arms  and  held  her  close. 

"My  own  darling  daughter,"  he  said  low 
and  tenderly,  "you  don't  know  how  dear,  how 
very  dear  you  are  to  your  father.  Millions 
could  not  buy  you  from  me." 

"Dear,  dear  papa,  it  is  very  sweet  to  have 
you  love  me  so,"  she  responded  in  tones  trem 
bling  with  emotion,  "and  I  think  my  love 
for  you  is  as  great  as  yours  for  me." 

"Yet  you  want  me  to  give  you  away  ?" 

"No,  sir;  only  to  take  another  son  as  a 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         263 

partner  in  the  concern  when  you  think  the 
right  time  has  come,"  she  answered,  smiling 
up  into  his  face. 

At  that  he  gave  her  a  smiling  caress. 

"So  I  will  when  I  think  that  time  has 
come,"  he  said,  "but  till  then  I  hope  you  can 
be  happy  in  my  home,  under  my  care,  and 
loved  and  petted  as  one  of  my  own  God-given 
children." 

"I  am  sure  I  can,  papa,  and  I  shall  never, 
never  be  willing  to  go  too  far  away  to  see  and 
talk  with  you  every  day." 

"That  is  pleasant  for  me  to  hear,"  he  said, 
"and  I  hope  to  keep  you  in  this  home  with  me 
even  after  you  exchange  my  name  for  an 
other  ;  and  if  you  and  Harold  grow  tired  of 
that  I  think  I  can  find  room  on  this  estate 
for  another  dwelling,  not  inferior  to  Sunny- 
side,  put  it  up  and  furnish  it  for  my  second 
daughter,  who  is  not  to  be  treated  with  any 
less  favor  than  her  elder  sister  and  brother." 

"Oh,  papa,  how  good,  good  you  are  to  me !" 
she  exclaimed  low  and  feelingly.  "I  am  so 
glad  and  thankful  that  I  was  born  your  child. 


264          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED   ONES 

But  I  should  love  to  be  that  even  if  you  were 
poor  and  couldn't  do  anything  for  me." 

"I  believe  you  would,  my  darling,"  he  re 
turned.  "But  now  bid  me  good-night  and 
go;  for  it  is  time  you  were  resting,  after  all 
the  excitement  and  fatigues  of  the  day.v 

"Yes,  papa,  dear,  dear  papa,"  she  said, 
putting  her  arms  around  his  neck  and  kissing 
him  with  ardent  affection,  "you  are  so  kind 
to  me,  and,  oh,  how  I  do  love  you!  I 
wouldn't  marry  even  Harold,  whom  I  dearly 
love,  if  I  knew  that  he  would  take  me  far 
away  from  you." 

"Nor  could  I  be  willing  to  give  you  to  him 
if  that  was  to  be  the  result.  But  there  seema 
little  or  no  danger  of  that,  as  his  home  and 
near  connections  are  in  this  neighborhood  and 
he  seems  to  have  no  desire  to  leave  it.  My 
greatest  objection  to  the  match  is  the  mixture 
of  relationships  it  will  bring  about.  You, 
my  own  daughter,  will  be  my  sister-in-law, 
and  Harold  son-in-law  to  his  sister.  Still, 
as  there  is  no  blood  relationship  between  you 
two,  and  you  seem  so  devotedly  attached  to 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         265 

each  other,  I  have  not  felt  that  I  had  any 
right  to  forbid  the  match." 

"Yes,  papa,  and  you  were  very,  very  kind  not 
to  do  so ;  for  dearly  as  I  love  Harold,  I  would 
never  marry  him  without  your  consent." 

"No,  I  know  you  would  not,  my  darling, 
for  I  have  not  a  more  obedient,  bidable  child 
than  you.  But  I  must  not  keep  you  longer 
from  your  needed  night's  rest." 

Then  laying  his  right  hand  gently  upon 
her  head,  he  gave  her  the  fatherly  blessing 
Lucilla  loved  so  well:  "The  Lord  bless  thee 
and  keep  thee;  the  Lord  make  His  face 
shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee; 
the  Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee 
and  give  thee  peace." 

"Dear  papa,  thank  you,"  she  said  with 
emotion,  glad  tears  in  her  eyes.  "I  do  love 
that  blessing,  and  I  hope  you  will  have  it  as 
well  as  I." 

"I  hope  so,  daughter,"  he  said;  "nothing 
could  be  better  for  either  of  us.  And  I  am 
exceedingly  glad  that  he  who  has  won  your 
young  heart  is  a  Christian  man." 


CHAPTER  XXI 

and  Evelyn  were  in  their  own  Sunny- 
side  home,  leaning  over  their  sleeping  babe, 
their  faces  shining  with  love  and  joy. 

"The  darling!"  exclaimed  Max,  speaking 
low  and  tenderly.  "She  seems  to  me  the  dear 
est,  loveliest  child  that  ever  was  made." 

"To  me,  too,"  returned  Eva  with  a  low  and 
sweet  laugh,  "though  I  know  that  is  because 
she  is  yours  and  mine;  and  there  must  have 
been  very  many  others  quite  as  beautiful  and 
sweet." 

"Yes,  no  doubt ;  and  I  suppose  it  is  because 
she  is  our  very  own  that  she  seems  so  won 
derfully  attractive  and  lovable  to  me.  And 
yet  she  seems  to  be  so  to  others  not  related  to 
her." 

"Quite  true,  Max,  and  my  heart  sings  for 
joy  over  her ;  and  yet  we  cannot  tell  that  she 
will  always  be  an  unmixed  blessing,  for  we 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         267 

do  not  know  what  her  character  in  future  life 
may  be.  Oh,  Max,  we  must  try  to  train  her 
up  aright,  and  we  must  pray  constantly  for 
God's  blessing  upon  our  efforts;  for  without 
His  blessing  they  will  avail  nothing." 

"No,  dearest,  I  am  sure  of  that,  and  my 
darling  little  daughter  will  be  always  remem 
bered  in  my  prayers.  That  will  be  almost 
all  I  can  do  for  her  in  that  line,  as  my  profes 
sion  will  call  me  almost  constantly  to  a  dis 
tance  from  home.  You,  dearest,  will  have 
to  bear  the  burden  of  her  training  and  edu 
cation;  except  such  parts  as  money  can  pro 
cure." 

"I  know,  I  know,"  Evelyn  replied  in 
moved  tones,  "and  you  must  pray  for  me 
that  I  may  have  wisdom,  grace  and  strength 
according  to  my  day." 

"That  I  will,  dear  wife ;  and  we  will  con 
verse  every  day  by  letter,  shall  we  not  ?" 

"Yes,  indeed,  and  you  shall  know  as  well 
as  written  words  can  tell  you  how  baby  grows, 
and  looks,  and  learns.  And  she  shall  know 
her  papa  by  seeing  his  photograph  ancl  hear- 


268          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

ing  a  great  deal  about  him  from  mamma'a 
lips." 

"It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  that,"  Max  said 
with  a  smile.  "And  of  my  home-coming, 
which  I  hope  will  be  rather  frequent,  as  we 
are  at  peace  and  I  am  likely  to  be  on  some 
vessel  near  the  shore  of  this,  our  own  land." 

"Oh,  I  hope  so !"  exclaimed  Evelyn.  "How 
I  shall  look  and  long  for  your  coming!  Ah, 
I  envy  those  women  whose  husbands  are  al 
ways  at  home  with  them." 

"Oh,  my  dear,  some  of  them  would  be  glad 
if  they  weren't.  Unfortunately,  all  mar 
riages  are  not  the  happy  ones  that  ours  is; 
some  husbands  and  wives  have  little  love  for 
each  other,  little  enjoyment  in  each  other's 
society." 

"Alas,  my  dear,  that  is  a  sad  truth,"  sighed 
Evelyn ;  "and  our  mutual  love  and  happiness 
in  each  other  is  still  another  cause  for  grati 
tude  to  God." 

"Yes,  indeed,  and  I  thank  Him  every  day 
— and  many  times  a  day — for  the  dear,  lov 
able  wife  He  has  given  me." 


269 


"As  I  do  for  my  best  and  dearest  of  hus* 
bands,"  she  said  in  response. 

"And  oh,  what  a  number  of  dear  relatives 
and  friends  our  marriage  has  given  me! 
Friends  they  were  before,  but  not  really  rela 
tives.  I  am  so  glad  to  be  able  to  call  your 
father,  sisters  and  little  brother  mine.  It  is 
so  sad  to  have  no  near  relatives." 

"Yes,  I  feel  that  it  must  be,  though  I  have 
not  known  it  by  experience,  having  always 
had  my  dear  father  and  sisters,  Lu  and  Grace. 
But  now,  dearest,  it  grows  late  and  you  are 
looking  weary.  Had  you  not  better  get  to 
bed  as  quickly  as  possible  ?" 

"Yes,  my  dear,  thoughtful  husband ;  it  has 
been  quite  an  exciting  day  and  I  am  weary," 
she  said,  turning  from  the  cradle  to  him,  her 
eyes  shining  with  love  and  joy. 

After  Grace  had  said  good-night  and  re 
tired  to  her  own  apartments  the  captain  and 
Violet  sat  chatting  together  in  the  library  for 
some  time.  It  was  quite  past  their  usual 
hour  for  retiring,  when  at  length  they  went 
tip  to  their  bedroom.  The  door  was  open  be- 


270          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

tween  it  and  the  next  room,  which  had  for 
merly  been  occupied  by  Grace,  but  was  now 
given  up  to  Ned,  he  having  graduated  from 
the  nursery,  much  to  his  own  gratification. 
He  considered  it  plain  proof  that  he  was  no 
longer  a  baby  boy,  but  a  big  fellow  hastening 
on  toward  manhood. 

"I  have  been  feeling  somewhat  anxious 
about  our  little  boy,"  Violet  said  in  an  under 
tone  to  her  husband,  while  laying  aside  her 
jewelry,  "he  was  so  flushed  and  excited  while 
getting  ready  for  bed.  Oh,  hark,  how  he  is 
talking  now !" 

She  paused  in  her  employment  and  stood 
listening,  the  captain  doing  likewise. 

"I  got  to  the  base  first,  and  it's  your  turn 
to  be  'It/  Eric!"  Ned  called  out  in  excited 
tones. 

Tears  started  to  Violet's  eyes  as  she  turned 
toward  her  husband  with  a  questioning,  ap 
pealing  look. 

"I  fear  he  is  indeed  not  well,"  returned  the 
captain,  moving  toward  the  open  door.  "We 
will  see  what  can  be  done  for  him." 


BL8IE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         271 

Vielet  followed.  The  captain  lighted  the 
gas  and  both  went  to  the  bedside.  Ned  was 
rolling  and  tumbling  about  the  bed,  mutter 
ing  and  occasionally  calling  out  a  few  words 
in  regard  to  the  game  he  imagined  himself 
playing. 

"N~ed,  my  son,"  the  captain  said  in  sooth 
ing  tones,  "you  are  not  at  play  now,  but  at 
home  in  your  bed.  Try  to  lie  still  and  sleep 
quietly." 

The  captain  took  the  little  hot  hand  in  his 
as  he  spoke.  He  was  surprised  and  alarmed 
at  its  heat,  and  that  the  little  fellow  did  not 
seem  to  know  where  he  was  or  who  it  was  that 
spoke  to  him. 

"Oh,  Levis,  the  child  is  certainly  very  ill," 
said  Violet  in  low,  trembling  tones.  "Would 
it  not  be  well  to  'phone  for  one  of  my  doctor 
brothers  ?  I  am  sure  either  of  them  would 
come  promptly  and  cheerfully  if  he  knew  our 
boy  was  ill  and  we  wanting  advice  for  him." 

"I  haven't  a  doubt  of  it,  dearest,  and  I  will 
go  at  once  to  the  'phone,"  replied  the  captain, 
leaving  the  room,  -while  Violet  leaned  over 


272          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

her  little  son,  smoothing  the  bedclothes  and 
doing  all  she  could  to  make  him  more  com 
fortable. 

At  Ion  most  of  the  family  had  retired  to 
rest,  but  Harold  had  lingered  over  some  cor 
respondence  in  the  library,  and  was  going 
quietly  up  the  stairway  when  he  heard  the 
telephone  bell.  He  went  directly  to  the  in 
strument,  saying  to  himself  a  trifle  regret- 
fully: 

"Somebody  wanting  the  doctor,  I  sup 
pose.  Hello!"  he  called,  and  was  instantly 
answered  in  Captain  Raymond's  unmistak 
able  voice: 

"I  am  glad  it  is  you,  Harold,  for  we  want 
you  badly,  as  soon  as  you  can  come  to  us. 
Ned  is,  I  fear,  very  ill ;  has  a  high  fever  and 
is  quite  delirious." 

"I  will  come  at  once,"  returned  Harold. 
"Poor,  dear  little  chap !  His  uncle  loves  him 
too  well  to  let  him  suffer  a  moment's  illness 
that  he  may  possibly  be  able  to  relieve." 

As  Harold  turned  from  the  instrument  his 
mother's  bedroom  door  opened  and  she  stood 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    273 

there  arrayed  in  a  dressing-gown  thrown  has 
tily  over  her  night-dress. 

"What  is  it,  Harold,  my  son  ?"  she  asked. 
"I  heard  the  telephone.  Are  any  of  our  dear 
ones  taken  sick  ?" 

"Don't  be  troubled,  mother  dear,"  he  re 
turned  in  tenderly  respectful  tones.  "It  was 
only  a  call  from  Woodburn  to  say  that  little 
Ned  is  not  well  and  they  would  like  me  to 
come  and  do  what  I  can  for  him." 

"And  you  are  going  ?" 

"Yes,  mother,  with  all  haste." 

"I  should  like  to  go  with  you,  to  do  what 
I  can  for  the  child  and  to  comfort  poor 
Vi." 

"Oh,  don't,  mother!  Please  go  back  to 
your  bed,  take  all  the  rest  and  sleep  that  you 
can  and  go  to  them  to-morrow.  That  is  your 
eldest  doctor  son's  prescription  for  you. 
Won't  you  take  it  ?"  putting  an  arm  about  her 
and  kissing  her  tenderly. 

"Yes,"  she  said,  returning  the  caress  withi 
a  rather  sad  sort  of  smile,  "for  I  think  he  is 
a  good  doctor,  as  well  as  one  of  the  best  of 


874         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

sons."  And  with  that  she  went  back  to  her 
bed,  while  he  hurried  away  to  his  patient. 

It  was  an  anxious  night  to  both  him  and 
Ned's  parents,  and  the  morning  brought  lit 
tle,  if  any,  relief  to  them  or  the  young  suf 
ferer. 

Chester  and  his  wife  were  breakfasting 
cozily  together  that  morning,  when  Captain 
Raymond  walked  in  upon  them  unannounced. 

"Father !"  cried  Lucilla,  springing  up  and 
running  to  him.  "Good  morning.  I'm  so 
glad  to  see  you.  But — oh,  father,  what  is  the 
matter  ?  You  look  real  ill." 

As  she  spoke  she  held  up  her  face  for  the 
usual  morning  kiss. 

He  gave  it  with  affection,  then  said  in 
moved  tones : 

"Your  little  brother  is  very,  very  ill.  Har 
old  and  we  have  been  up  with  him  all  night. 
He  is  no  better  yet,  but  we  do  not  give  up 
hope." 

"Oh,  I  am  so,  so  sorry !"  she  sighed,  tears 
filling  her  eyes.  "He  is  such  a  dear  little  fel« 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES        275 

low,  and  has  always  been  so  healthy  that  I 
have  hardly  thought  of  sickness  in  connection 
with  him." 

Chester  had  left  his  seat  at  the  table  and 
was  standing  with  them  now. 

"Do  not  despair,  captain,"  he  said  with 
feeling ;  "all  is  not  lost  that  is  in  danger,  and 
we  will  all  pray  for  his  recovery,  if  consistent 
with  the  Lord's  will." 

"Yes,  the  effectual,  fervent  prayer  of  the 
righteous  man  availeth  much,  and  the  Lord 
will  spare  our  dear  one  if  He  sees  best,"  re 
turned  the  captain  feelingly. 

"Father  dear,  you  look  so  weary,"  Lucilla 
said  with  emotion.  "Let  me  do  something 
for  you.  Won't  you  sit  down  to  the  table  and 
have  a  cup  of  coffee,  if  nothing  else  ?" 

"Thank  you,  daughter.  Perhaps  it  would 
help  to  strengthen  me  for  the  day's  trials  and 
duties,"  he  replied,  accepting  the  offered  seat. 

They  were  about  leaving  the  table  when 
Max  came  in. 

"Good-morning,  father,  sister  and  brotb- 


276          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

er"  he  said,  looking  about  upon  them  witH 
a  grave,  concerned  air.  "I  have  just  heard 
bad  news  from  one  of  the  servants — that  my 
little  brother  is  very  ill.  Father,  I  hope  it  is 
not  true?" 

"I  am  sorry,  Max,  my  son,  to  have  to  say 
that  it  is  only  too  true,"  groaned  the  captain. 
"We  have  been  up  with  him  all  night,  and 
he  is  a  very  sick  child." 

"Oh,  that  is  sad  indeed !  Can  I  help  with 
the  nursing,  father,  or  be  of  service  in  any 
way?" 

"I  don't  know,  indeed ;  but  come  over  all 
of  you,  as  usual,  to  cheer  us  with  your  pres 
ence,  and  perhaps  make  yourselves  useful  in 
some  other  way." 

"Thank  you,  sir.  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  any 
thing  I  can  to  help  or  comfort;  but — if  our 
baby  should  cry,  might  it  not  disturb  poor 
little  Ned  ?" 

"I  think  not;  we  have  him  in  the  old 
nursery.  Her  cry,  if  she  should  indulge  in 
one,  would  hardly  reach  there,  and  if  it  did 
he  is  not  in  a  state  to  notice  it.  So  come 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         277 

over  as  usual;  the  very  sight  of  you  will  do 
us  all  good." 

"I  was  going  into  town  as  usual,"  said 
Chester,  "but  if  I  can  be  of  any  use — " 

"Your  help  will  not  be  needed,  with  so 
many  others,  and  you  can  cheer  us  with  your 
presence  after  you  get  home  in  the  after 
noon,"  returned  the  captain  in  kindly,  appre 
ciative  tones.  "Are  Eva  and  the  baby  well, 
Max  ?"  he  asked,  turning  to  his  son. 

"Quite  well,  thank  you,  father,  and  you 
will  probably  see  us  all  at  Woodburn  in  an 
hour  or  so." 

With  that  Chester  and  the  captain  de 
parted. 

At  Ion,  Mrs.  Elsie  Travilla  came  down  to 
breakfast  evidently  attired  for  a  drive  or 
walk.  ~No  one  was  surprised,  for  the  news 
of  Ned  Raymond's  serious  illness  had  already 
gone  through  the  house,  causing  sorrow  and 
anxiety  to  the  whole  family. 

Herbert,  too,  was  ready  for  a  drive,  and 
presently  after  leaving  the  table  took  his 
mother  over  to  Woodburn  in  his  gig.  Dr. 


278          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Conly  also  arrived  about  the  same  time,  hav 
ing  been  telephoned  to  in  regard  to  the  illness 
of  his  young  relative. 

Several  days  followed  that  were  sad  ones 
to  not  only  the  immediate  Woodburn  and 
Sunnyside  families,  to  whom  little  Ned  was 
so  near  and  dear,  but  to  the  other  more  dis 
tant  relatives  and  friends.  All  of  them  were 
ready  and  anxious  to  do  anything  and  every 
thing  in  their  power  for  the  relief  of  the 
young  sufferer  and  to  comfort  and  help  the 
grieved  and  anxious  parents. 

But  Harold's  skill  and  knowledge  of  the 
disease  and  the  most  potent  and  effectual 
remedies  did  more  than  all  other  human 
means  to  remove  it  and  restore  the  young  lad 
to  health.  Harold  was  at  length  able  to  pro 
nounce  his  young  patient  free  from  disease 
and  on  a  fair  road  to  entire  recovery  of 
health.  Violet  embraced  her  brother  and 
wept  for  joy,  while  the  father  and  sisters — 
the  older  brother  also — were  scarcely  less 
glad  and  thankful. 

"Come  into  the  library,  Harold,  and  let  us 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         279 

Lave  a  little  private  chat,"  the  captain  said, 
in  tones  husky  with  emotion. 

For  some  moments  they  sat  in  silence,  the 
captain  evidently  too  much  moved  to  com 
mand  his  voice  in  speech.  But  at  length  he 
spoke  in  low,  trembling  tones. 

"Brother  Harold,  dear  fellow,  I  can  never 
thank  you  enough  for  saving  the  life  of  my 
little  son; — you  were  the  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  God  our  Heavenly  Father.  Money 
cannot  pay  the  debt,  but  I  should  like  to 
give  a  liberal  fee  as  an  expression  of  the  grati 
tude  felt  by  us  all,  especially  your  Sister  Vio 
let  and  myself." 

There  was  emotion  in  Harold's  voice  also 
as  he  answered : 

"My  dear  brother,  don't  forget  that  it  was 
not  so  much  your  son  as  my  own  dear  little 
nephew  I  was  working  to  save.  Thank  you 
heartily  for  your  desire  to  reward  me  with 
a  liberal  fee,  but  I  feel  that  I  can  well  afford 
to  use  all  the  knowledge,  strength  and  skill  I 
possess  for  the  benefit  of  my  dear  ones  with 
out  any  payment  in  'filthy  lucre;'  but,  my 


280          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

dear  brother,  there  is  one  reward  you  could 
give  me  which  I  should  be  far  from  despis 
ing — which  I  should  value  more  than  a  mint 
of  money,  or  any  amount  of  stocks,  bonds  or 
estate." 

He  paused,  and  after  a  moment's  silence 
the  captain  spoke: 

"You  mean  my  daughter  Grace  ?  Surely, 
you  forget  that  I  long  ago  consented  to  the 
match." 

"If  I  would  serve  for  her  as  Jacob  did  for 
Rachel ;  but  I  want  her  now,  and  if  you  will 
give  her  to  me  directly  I  will  watch  over  her 
with  all  the  care  and  solicitude  of  both  a  de 
voted  husband  and  physician;  and  I  think 
you  will  find  that  marriage  will  not  break 
down  her  health.  Has  not  that  improved  un 
der  my  care?  and  may  we  not  hope  to  see 
still  greater  improvement  when  she  is  my 
dear  devoted  wife? — for  she  does  love  me, 
unworthy  as  I  am." 

The  captain  sat  for  a  moment  apparently 
in  deep  thought.  Then  he  said: 

"Being   of   the   medical   profession,   you 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         281 

ought  to  know  better  than  I  what  will  be 
likely  or  unlikely  to  injure  her  health.  I  be 
lieve  you  to  be  thoroughly  honest  and  true, 
Harold,  and  if  such  is  your  opinion,  and  you 
are  willing  to  live  here  in  this  house  for  at 
least  the  first  year,  and  afterward  in  one  that 
I  shall  build  for  you  and  her  on  this  estate, 
you  may  have  her  in  a  few  months.  You 
know,  she  will  want  a  little  time  for  the  prep 
aration  of  her  trousseau,"  he  added  with  a 
smile. 

"Thank  you,  captain,  thank  you  with  all 
my  heart !"  exclaimed  Harold,  his  face  aglow 
with  happiness. 

At  that  moment  Grace's  voice  was  heard 
speaking  to  some  one  in  the  hall  without. 

The  captain  stepped  to  the  door  and 
opened  it. 

"Grace,  daughter,"  he  said,  "come  here 
for  a  moment.  Harold  and  I  have  something 
to  say  to  you." 

She  came  immediately,  blushing,  smiling, 
a  look  half  of  inquiry,  half  of  pleased  expec 
tation  on  her  sweet  and  lovely  face. 


282          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

Her  father,  still  standing  by  the  door, 
closed  it  after  her,  took  her  hand,  drew  her 
into  his  arms  and  kisssed  her  tenderly, 
fondly. 

"My  child,  my  own  dear  child,"  he  said, 
"I  have  given  you  away,  or  promised  to  do 
so  as  soon  as  you  can  make  your  preparations 
and — want  me  to  give  up  my  right  in  you 
to  another." 

"Oh,  no,  papa,  not  that,"  she  returned,  her 
eyes  filling  with  tears ;  "am  I  not  your  very 
own  daughter  ?  and  shall  I  not  always  be,  as 
long  as  we  both  live  ?" 

"Yes,  yes,  indeed,  my  own  precious  darling, 
and  this  is  to  be  your  home  still  for  at  least 
a  year  after — you  drop  my  name  for  Har 
old's." 

"I  shall  never  drop  it,  father,  only  add  to 
it,"  she  returned,  with  both  tears  and  smiles. 

Harold  stood  close  beside  them  now. 

"And  you  are  willing  to  share  mine,  dear 
est,  are  you  not  ?"  he  asked,  taking  her  hand 
in  his. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         283 

"Yes,  indeed,  since  I  have  your  dear  love," 
she  answered  low  and  feelingly. 

"And  I  think  he  has  been  the  means  of 
saving  your  dear  life,  and  now  your  little 
brother's  also,"  her  father  said  with  feeling, 
"so  I  cannot  refuse  you  to  him  any  longer, 
my  darling,  sorrowful  thing  as  it  is  to  me  to 
give  you  up." 

"Oh,  don't  give  me  up,  dear  father,  don't !" 
she  entreated  with  pleading  look  and  tone. 
"Surely,  I  shall  not  be  less  yours  because  I 
become  his  also." 

"No,  my  dear  child,  I  shall  surely  be  as 
much  your  father  as  ever.  Shall  I  not,  Har 
old  ?" 

"Surely,  sir ;  and  mine  also,  if  you  will  ac 
cept  me  as  your  son." 

Violet  came  to  the  door  at  that  moment. 

"May  I  come  in?"  she  asked;  "or  would 
that  be  intruding  upon  a  private  inter 
view  ?" 

"Come  in,  my  dear ;  we  will  be  glad  to  have 
you,"  replied  her  husband. 


284         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

She  stepped  in  and  was  a  little  surprised 
to  find  the  three  already  there  standing  in  a 
group  together. 

It  was  Harold  who  explained. 

"Congratulate  me,  sister ;  I  have  got  leave 
to  claim  my  bride  as  soon  as  she  can  make 
ready  for  the  important  step." 

"Ah  ?  Oh,  I  am  glad,  for  you  richly 
deserve  it  for  what  you  have  done  for  our 
precious  little  Ned." 

"Thank  you,  sister,"  Harold  said  with 
emotion,  "but  give  God  the  praise.  I  could 
have  done  nothing  had  He  not  blessed  the 
means  used." 

"True ;  and  my  heart  is  full  of  gratitude  to 
Him."  Then,  turning  to  Grace :  "I  am  very, 
very  glad  for  Harold  to  be,  and  feel  that  he  is, 
rewarded,  but,  oh,  how  shall  I  ever  do  with 
out  you — the  dearest  of  dear  girls  ?" 

"I  have  not  yet  consented  to  her  departure 
from  her  father's  house,"  said  the  captain, 
turning  a  proud,  fond  look  upon  his  daugh 
ter,  "but  have  stipulated  that  we  are  to  have 
them  here  in  this  house  for  at  least  a  year ; 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         283 

then  in  another  to  be  built  upon  this  estate — • 
if  they  wish  to  leave  us." 

"Oh,  I  like  that !"  exclaimed  Violet.  "It 
removes  all  objections — except  with  regard 
to  the  mixture  of  relationships,"  she  added 
with  a  slight  laugh.  "But  I  am  forgetting 
my  errand.  Ned  is  awake  and  asking  hun 
grily  for  his  father  and  his  doctor." 

"Then  we  must  go  to  him  at  once,"  said 
both  gentlemen,  Grace  adding : 

"And  I,  too,  if  I  may,  for  surely  he  would 
not  object  to  seeing  his  sister  also." 

"No,  indeed,"  said  Violet,  "and  the  sight 
of  your  dear,  sweet  face,  Gracie,  could  not, 
I  am  sure,  do  anything  but  good  to  any  one 
who  sees  it." 

"Ah,  mamma,  I  fear  you  are  becoming  a 
flatterer,"  laughed  Grace.  "But  it  must  be 
for  father  or  the  doctor  to  decide  my  course 
of  conduct  on  this  occasion." 

•"You  may  come,  if  you  will  promise  not  to 
say  more  than  a  dozen  unexciting  words  to 
my  patient/  Harold  said  in  a  tone  between 
jest  and  earnest. 


286          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"I  promise,"  laughed  Grace.  "It  seems  I 
have  to  begin  to  obey  you  now." 

"I  think  you  began  a  year  or  two  ago,"  he 
returned  laughingly.  "You  have  been  a  very 
satisfactory  patient." 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  it,"  she  said.  "Father, 
Jiave  I  your  permission  to  go  with  you  to  take 
a  peep  at  my  little  sick  brother  ?" 

"Yes,  daughter,  if  you  will  be  careful  to 
follow  the  doctor's  directions." 

"I  will,  father,  first  following  in  his  and 
your  footsteps,"  she  said,  doing  so  along  with 
Violet  as  the  two  gentlemen,  having  passed 
into  the  hall,  now  began  mounting  the  broad 
stairway. 

They  found  the  young  patient  lying 
among  his  pillows,  looking  pale  and  weak. 
His  eyes  shone  with  pleasure  at  sight  of 
them. 

"I'm  glad  you've  all  come,"  he  said  feebly. 
"I  want  a  kiss,  mamma." 

She  gave  it  and  bent  over  him,  softly 
smoothing  his  hair.  "Mother's  darling, 
mother's  dear  little  man,"  she  said  in  trem- 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    287 

bling  tones,  pressing  kisses  on  his  forehead, 
cheek  and  lips. 

"There,  Vi  dear,  that  will  do,"  the  doctor 
said  gently.  "Let  the  rest  of  us  have  our 
turn.  Are  you  quite  easy  and  comfortable, 
Ned,  my  boy  ?"  laying  a  finger  on  his  pulse 
as  he  spoke. 

"Yes,  uncle.  Give  me  a  kiss,  and  then  let 
papa  and  Grace  do  it." 

"Be  very  quiet  and  good,  my  son ;  do  just 
as  uncle  tells  you,  and  you  will  soon  be  well, 
I  think,"  the  captain  said  in  cheery  tones 
when  he  had  given  the  asked-for  caress. 

Then  Grace  took  her  turn,  saying : 

"My  dear  little  brother,  get  well  now  as 
fast  as  you  can." 

Then  the  doctor  banished  them  all  from  the 
room,  bidding  them  leave  him  to  his  care  and 
that  of  the  old  mammy  who  had  again  and 
again  proved  herself  a  capital  nurse  in  tha 
family  connection. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  captain,  Violet  and  Grace  now  re 
turned  to  the  library,  where  they  found  Lu- 
cilla  at  the  typewriter  answering  some  let 
ters  for  her  father. 

"Oh,  you  have  all  been  up  to  see  Neddie, 
haven't  you?"  she  asked,  judging  so  by  the 
expression  of  their  faces. 

"Yes,  daughter,"  replied  the  captain,  "but 
the  doctor  would  allow  only  an  exceedingly 
short  call,  and  so  much  depending  upon  it, 
we  must  all  be  careful  to  follow  his  direc 
tions." 

"Yes,  indeed,  the  dear  little  brother !"  she 
exclaimed  with  emotion.  "But  surely  some 
thing  pleasant  has  happened  to  you,  Gracie 
dear,  for  you  are  looking  very  happy." 

"As  I  am  and  ought  to  be,"  returned  Grace, 
blushing  vividly ;  "father  and  the — and  oth 
ers,  too,  have  been  so  kind  to  me." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         289 

"Oh,  father  means  to  reward  Harold,  does 
•he  ?"  laughed  Lucilla.  "Well,  sister  dear,  if 
yon  like  it  I  am  glad  for  you." 

"Your  father  has,  indeed,  been  very  kind 
to  our  pair  of  lovers/'  said  Violet,  smiling 
upon  both  her  husband  and  Grace,  "and  the 
best  of  it  is  that  he  has  stipulated  that  they 
are  to  stay  here  with  us  for  the  first  year  of 
their  married  life." 

"After  that  to  remain  on  the  estate,  but  in 
a  separate  house  if  they  wish  it,"  added  the 
captain. 

"Oh,  how  nice !"  cried  Lucilla ;  "and  Har 
old  really  deserves  it." 

"As  does  Grace  also,"  said  their  father, 
"for  she  has  been  sweetly  submissive  to  her 
father's  will." 

"It  would  have  been  strange  if  I  had  been 
anything  else  toward  such  a  dear,  kind  father 
as  mine,"  she  said,  regarding  him  with  an 
expression  of  ardent  affection,  which  he  re 
turned,  smiling  fondly  upon  her. 

The  door  opened  and  Max  stood  upon  the 
threshold. 


290          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

"Am  I  intruding?"  he  asked,  pausing 
there." 

"No,  my  son ;  we  wish  to  have  no  family  se 
cret  from  you.  Come  in  and  join  us,"  replied 
his  father,  and  Max  stepped  in,  closing  the 
door  behind  him. 

"You  are  all  looking  happy,"  he  said, 
glancing  about  upon  them  with  a  pleased 
smile,  "and  no  wonder ;  it  is  such  good  news 
that  our  dear  little  Ned  is  convalescing." 

"Yes,"  said  Lucilla,  "and  I  think  Gracie 
here  is  somewhat  rejoiced  over  Harold's 
promised  reward." 

"Ah,  I  suppose  I  know  what  that  is,"  said 
Max,  glancing  at  the  blushing,  half  smiling 
face  of  his  younger  sister.  "You  are  to  be 
'It'  this  time,  aren't  you,  Gracie?" 

Her  only  reply  was  a  low,  sweet  laugh,  but 
their  father  answered: 

"Yes,  I  have  withdrawn  my  objection  to  a 
speedy  union,  as  I  felt  that  Harold  deserved 
a  great  reward,  and  he  preferred  that  to  any 
other." 

"And  when  is  it  to  be  ?"  asked  Max. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         291 

"When  she  has  had  time  to  prepare  her 
trousseau." 

"And  I  fear  that  will  take  so  long  that  I 
shall  miss  the  sight,"  sighed  Max. 

"Don't  despair,  son ;  you  or  I  may  be  able 
to  get  an  extension  of  your  leave  of  absence," 
said  his  father. 

"Perhaps,  father,  if  they  do  not  delay  too 
long." 

"But  we  could  hardly  have  a  grand  wed 
ding  now  while  Neddie  is  so  ill,"  said  Vio 
let;  "especially  as  Harold  is  his  physician." 

"It  needn't  be  a  grand  wedding,  mamma ; 
I  should  prefer  a  quiet  one,"  said  Grace ;  "but 
I  am  certainly  in  no  hurry  about  it." 

"You  must  have  a  handsome  wedding  dresa 
and  trousseau,"  said  Violet.  "And  we  want 
Max  here  at  the  wedding,  and  don't  want 
Harold  to  leave  our  dear  little  boy  till  he  ia 
fairly  on  the  road  to  recovery.  Now,  how 
shall  we  manage  it  all  ?" 

"Perhaps  your  mother  might  help  in  the 
arrangement,"  suggested  Lucilla. 

"Perhaps  Harold  would  want  to  tell  her 


292          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

himself  of — the  change  of  plans,"  said  the 
captain. 

At  that  moment  the  door  opened  and 
mother  and  son  appeared  on  the  threshold, 
both  looking  very  cheery  and  bright. 

The  captain  sprang  to  his  feet  and  hastened 
to  bring  forward  an  easy-chair,  while  Violet 
exclaimed : 

"Oh,  mother,  I  am  so  glad  you  have 
joined  us !  I  was  just  on  the  point  of  going 
to  ask  you  to  do  so." 

"I  suppose  to  tell  me  the  good  news  I  have 
just  heard  from  Harold,"  was  the  smiling  re 
joinder.  "But  he  was  the  one  to  tell  it, 
daughter.  And  captain,"  turning  to  him,  "I 
thank  you  for  the  change  in  your  decision  in 
regard  to  a  most  important  matter,  which 
Harold  feels  to  be  a  great  reward  for  what  he 
has  been  enabled  to  do  for  our  dear  little 
boy." 

"I  am  very  glad  I  had  it  in  my  power  to  do 
something  to  show  my  appreciation  of  his  in 
valuable  services,"  the  captain  said  with  evi 
dent  emotion. 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         293 

"Where  is  Eva  ?"  exclaimed  Lucilla.  "She 
should  be  here  with  us  on  this  important  occa 
sion." 

"Yes,  she  is  one  of  the  family,"  assented 
Captain  Raymond  heartily.  "I  will  go  and 
bring  her,"  said  Max,  hurrying  from  the 
room,  to  return  in  a  very  few  minutes  carry 
ing  his  baby  and  with  his  wife  by  his  side. 

The  little  one  was  cooing  and  smiling. 

"Excuse  me,  friends  and  relatives,  for 
bringing  in  this  uninvited  young  girl,  for  I 
can  assure  you  she  will  not  repeat  anything 
that  is  said,"  laughed  Max  as  Eva  took  pos 
session  of  a  chair  handed  her  by  Harold,  and 
he  gave  the  child  to  her.  The  door  opened 
again  at  that  moment  and  Elsie  Raymond's 
voice  was  heard  asking: 

"May  I  come  in,  papa  ?" 

"Yes,  daughter,  you  are  wanted  here,"  was 
the  pleasant-toned  reply,  and  as  she  came 
near  to  him  he  drew  her  to  his  knee,  saying : 

"We  are  talking  of  Grace's  wedding,  try 
ing  to  decide  when  it  shall  be." 

"Oh,  is  it  going  to  be  soon,  papa  ?"  she  ex- 


294         ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

claimed.  "I  thought  it  wasn't  to  be  for  years 
yet.  And  I  don't  want  my  dear  Sister  Grace 
to  be  taken  away  from  us  to  another  home." 

"No,  and  she  shall  not  be  for  a  year  or 
more,  and  then  not  out  of  the  grounds." 

"Oh,  I  am  glad  of  that !  You  will  build 
them  a  house  in  our  grounds,  will  you,  papa  ?" 

"I  hope  to  do  so,"  he  said.  "But  now  you 
may  listen  quietly  to  what  others  are  saying. 
Mother,"  turning  to  Mrs.  Travilla,  "I  think 
we  can  hardly  yet  set  the  exact  date  for  the 
ceremony  that  will  give  you  a  daughter  and 
me  a  son.  We  will  want  our  little  Ned  to 
be  well  enough  to  enjoy  the  occasion,  and  to 
spare  his  doctor  for  a  wedding  trip  of  more 
or  less  length." 

"Yes,  sir,  I  agree  with  you  in  that.  Per 
haps  Christmas  eve  would  be  a  suitable  time 
for  the  ceremony;  Neddie  will  probably  be 
well  enough  by  then  to  be  present;  and  if 
bride  and  groom  want  to  take  a  trip,  Herbert 
and  Cousin  Arthur  Conly  can  give  any  at 
tention  or  prescriptions  needed  during  Har 
old's  absence." 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         295 

"Don't  forget,  mother,  that  it  is  the  groom's 
privilege  to  fix  the  month,"  exclaimed  Violet. 
"And,  Harold,"  turning  to  him,  "please  don't 
let  it  be  so  early  as  Christmas,  because  I  want 
Grace  here  then.  It  would  hardly  seem  like 
Christmas  without  her." 

"How  would  New  Year's  day  do  for  the 
ceremony  ?"  suggested  Lucilla. 

"Much  better  than  Christmas,"  said  Vio 
let. 

"So  I  think,"  said  the  captain.  "They  are 
both  too  soon  to  suit  my  desires,  but — I  have 
already  relinquished  them." 

"It  would  be  the  best  New  Year's  gift  you 
could  possibly  bestow  upon  me,  captain,"  said 
Harold. 

"But  what  is  your  feeling  about  it,  dear 
est  ?"  he  asked  in  an  undertone,  bending  over 
Grace  as  he  spoke. 

"If  you  are  suited,  I  am  satisfied,"  she  re 
turned  in  the  same  low  key,  and  with  a 
charming  smile  up  into  his  eyes. 

"I,  for  one,  like  the  New  Year's  gift  idea," 
said  Evelyn.  "Gracie  to  give  herself  to  Har« 


296          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

old  as  such,  and  he  himself  to  her  as  the 
same." 

"Yes,  it  is  a  pretty  idea,"  assented  Grand 
ma  Elsie ;  "but,  as  Vi  has  reminded  us,  it  is 
Harold's  privilege  to  set  the  month,  but  Gra 
de's  to  choose  the  day." 

"New  Year's  would  suit  me  better  than  any 
later  day,  but  I  want  my  ladylove  to  make  the 
choice  to  suit  herself,"  Harold  said,  giving 
Grace  a  look  of  ardent  admiration  and  affec 
tion. 

"I  like  Eva's  idea,"  she  said  with  a  blush 
and  smile,  "so  am  more  than  willing  to  say 
New  Year's  day,  if  that  suits  you,  Harold; 
that  is,  if — if  dear  little  Ned  is  well  enough 
by  that  time  to  attend  and  enjoy  the  scene." 

"I  think  he  will  be,"  said  Harold ;  "at  all 
events,  if  we  have  the  ceremony  performed 
here  in  this  house." 

"I  should  prefer  to  have  it  here  rather  than 
anywhere  else,"  said  Grace  with  gentle  de 
cision. 

"I,  too,"  said  Harold. 

"Then  let  it  be  understood  that  such  is  to 


BL8IE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES         297 

be  the  arrangement,"  said  the  captain.  "And 
in  the  meantime,  Grace,  daughter,  you  can  be 
busied  about  your  trousseau,  shopping  and 
overseeing  the  dressmakers." 

"Thank  you,  father  dear,"  she  said ;  "but 
I  have  abundance  of  handsome  wearing  ap 
parel  now,  and  shall  not  need  to  get  anything 
new  but  the  wedding  dress." 

"Nonsense !"  exclaimed  Violet,  "you  must 
have  a  handsome  travelling  dress  and 
loads  of  other  nice  things;  and  as  soon  as 
Neddie  is  well  enough  to  bo  left  by  us  for 
some  hours  we  must  go  to  the  city  and  do  the 
necessary  shopping." 

"Yes,"  added  the  captain,  "remember  that 
your  father  wants  you  to  have  all  that  heart 
could  wish  for  your  trousseau,  if — if  he  is 
handing  you  over  to  another  rather  against 
his  will." 

"I  trust  I  shall  never  give  you  cause  to  re 
gret  it,  sir,"  said  Harold  pleasantly.  "But 
I  must  go  now  to  my  young  patient,"  he 
added,  rising  to  his  feet.  "Adieu  for  the 
present,  friends.  I  know  that  you  can  ar- 


298          ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES 

range  remaining  matters  without  my  valuable 
assistance." 

With  that  he  left  the  room,  and  the  talk 
between  the  others  went  on. 

Harold  was  pleased  to  find  his  young  pa 
tient  sleeping  quietly.  The  improvement  in 
his  condition  was  steady  from  that  time,  so 
that  in  another  week  it  was  deemed  altogether 
right  and  wise  to  begin  preparations  for  the 
approaching  nuptials. 

Relieved  from  anxiety  about  little  Ned, 
and  supplied  by  the  captain  with  abundant 
means,  the  ladies  thoroughly  enjoyed  the  nec 
essary  shopping,  and  daily  brought  home  an 
array  of  beautiful  things  for  the  adornment 
of  the  bride  that  was  to  be.  At  the  same  time 
Max  returned  to  his  vessel,  but  with  the 
promise  of  another  short  leave  of  absence  to 
enable  him  to  attend  the  wedding.  That 
made  it  easier  to  part  with  wife  and  baby  for 
the  time. 

Here  we  will  leave  our  friends  for  the  pres 
ent,  preparations  for  the  wedding  going  mer 
rily  on,  the  lovers  very  happy  in  each  other 


ELSIE  AND  HER  LOVED  ONES    299 

and  the  bright  prospect  before  them,  the  cap 
tain  not  very  discontented  with  the  turn 
events  had  taken,  and  Grandma  Elsie  full  of 
quiet  satisfaction  in  the  thought  of  Harold's 
happiness,  and  that  she  herself  was  to  have 
so  sweet  a  new  daughter  added  to  her  store  of 
such  treasures. 


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